Warrington TUSC councillor Kevin Bennett has called on the town’s Labour-controlled council to back Jeremy Corbyn’s anti-austerity stance and vote against new cuts to council services.
The call has picked up positive coverage in the local media.
Kevin, described by Warrington Worldwide as Warrington’s ‘rebel councillor’, points out that he was the only councillor in Warrington who endorsed Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership.
Anti-austerity
He is then quoted as saying “TUSC believes that in the new situation opened up by Jeremy Corbyn’s victory, there really is no reason why Labour councils should not combine together and refuse to implement the Tories’ brutal austerity agenda.
“In our view that can only mean setting a needs-budget to defend jobs and services which will meet the needs of our town, as the start of a fightback against the Tory government.
“The government’s localism agenda gives local authorities a ‘power of competence’ to do anything apart from that which is specifically prohibited. This allows councils to resist cuts – if they wish to use it.
“TUSC will give full support to those councillors who vote against further cuts but TUSC will also stand anti-austerity candidates against those councillors who continue to vote for cuts.
“Our campaign will send a clear message to the austerity supporters in the Labour Party that any attempt to undermine Jeremy Corbyn will not be tolerated by those who have given him such magnificent support”.
