CALLS are being made for Government intervention in the running of Worcestershire County Council.

County Hall’s Labour group has made a formal request for an emergency meeting to discuss concerns over the financial state of the Conservative-run council and the safety of its services. 

This follows proposals to cut £60million of the council’s budget over the next three years. 

Labour group leader Peter McDonald said: “Council finances are in crises, austerity budgets have now caused total turmoil. As a consequence children’s services are to be taken away from county council because children are not safe in the hands of the council.

“No services are now safe in the county’s hands. 

“The austerity cuts of the past and present are going to decimate all services and put vulnerable residents and children at risk.

“The Labour group believe this Tory incompetence and their continual cuts in services with some £60million additional cuts to be made has put the county council in a serious and a perilous position. 

“Labour are asking for Government to intervene as we can’t trust the current council leadership to put things right. They are unable or unwilling to change. When a council fails its residents like they have in Worcestershire, they send in commissioners to administrate the council, to ensure vital services are kept running. 

“We have no confidence that the Conservatives will do what is needed, we know they will cut deeply into the services needed and required by the most vulnerable of Worcestershire’s residents. We need urgent intervention to protect services and restore confidence.”

The extraordinary meeting is at County Hall next Thursday (October 19) at 10am. 

Simon Mallinson, head of legal and democratic services at the council, said: “Members of the Labour party have formally triggered an extraordinary meeting of the council to consider their no confidence motion.”

Council leader Simon Geraghty and deputy Adrian Hardman were both unavailable for comment when contacted by the Worcester News. We intend to report their responses, when received, in a coming edition of the newspaper.