Lib Dems on Suffolk County Council have been thwarted in their attempts to reverse cuts in education and public transport. At the budget meeting on Feb 9th the Lib Dem group proposed the following amendment to the Conservative budget:

• Re-instate Bury Road Park & Ride
• Re-introduce the eXplore Card with a £25 admin fee
• Allow those concessionary bus pass holders eligible due to disability to travel around the clock
• Re-instate the bus routes cut last year – including evening and weekend services
• Provide greater level of funding to the learning improvement service to allow for greater support to schools to increase attainment
• Increase the budget for Looked After Children to help develop alternatives to costly out of county placements
• NEETS Apprenticeship Scheme – allow S.C.C to employ 50 apprentices
• Provide £2.5m of funding to Adult Services each year over the next two years to aid the transition to more preventative care

All of these schemes would have helped to re-enable individuals across the County, and would have been paid for by;

• Reducing external room hire by 30%
• Reducing business miles by 10%
• Reduce the number of Cabinet posts by 1
• Reduce the Road Management and Maintenance Budget
• Reduce the cost of the CSD contract by £2m

 The amendment was, of course, voted down