‘Thumbs-up’ Tory shame

Gloating Tory councillors have shamelessly posed for a ‘thumbs up photo’ right in front of a children’s centre they’ve axed to save cash.  Portsmouth council leader Donna Jones, children and education councillor Neill Young and sports and culture member Linda Symes, were all snapped smiling and holding their thumps up outside the Southsea Children’s Centre during a campaigning day recently, ahead of the local elections.

Last month Cllr Young decided to take away the centre’s Ofsted-recognised programme in order cut back the council’s budget.

In total, Young is scrapping four children’s centres of their Ofsted status in the city to save £205,000 – leaving the families who rely on them for support out in the cold. Young dismissed allegations that the picture was insensitive or taken as an opportunity to gloat and defended his decision to close the centre, which is housed in the Havelock Community building.

‘Happened to be outside’

He told the Portsmouth News, “It wasn’t anything to do with the children’s centre, we happened to be outside. “What we are doing is changing the way we are delivering the children’s centre service. There will still be some services out of the Havelock centre. There will just be a different way of providing it.”

Unite community Portsmouth and district chair, Silvi Veale, who is standing as the Labour candidate in the Hilsea ward against Portsmouth council leader Donna Jones, wasn’t convinced by Young’s explanation. Veale condemned the cuts to children’s services, which she said were, “essential for parents and children” and blasted the councillors for not apologising.

“Councillor Young assured parents that children’s services will still be delivered but ‘in a different way’. This ‘different way’ got rid of paid staff and replaced them with volunteers, and, in effect, was a swinging cut to children’s services across Portsmouth.
‘Angry and upset’

“Many parents were already angry and upset about these cuts and particularly about Tory councillors ignoring their concerns. So, to see a picture of Tory councillors giving the ‘thumbs up’ outside Havelock Community centre was like rubbing salt into the wound,” she said.

“But senior Tories then carried on rubbing in that salt by refusing to apologise for taking and publicising such an insensitive picture. Instead, they dismissed criticism of their action as ‘paranoia’.

“Issuing an apology would at least have shown a degree of understanding and empathy, but the lack of an apology, together with the response about ‘paranoia’, demonstrates that Portsmouth Conservatives not only show a complete lack of understanding of local people and their concerns, but also a total lack of compassion.”

Unite national officer for local authorities, Fiona Farmer, said cuts in Portsmouth were symptomatic of a wider attitude within the Tory party, one that sees the needs of young families as unimportant.

She said, “Unite believes in kids not cuts but unfortunately the Conservative’s do not feel the same way. Heralding the closure of services for young and vulnerable families as a success is a clear indication that the Tory’s don’t value future generations.”