A Labour-led council has sparked controversy after cancelling its native election on the grounds of saving cash, just for it to emerge that tens of hundreds of kilos had been later spent on a psychological well being initiative aimed toward asylum seekers.
Council leaders justified the postponement by pointing to monetary pressures. Phil Riley, the Labour chief of the authority, beforehand mentioned the price of staging an election, estimated at round £200,000, couldn’t be justified when the vote would have to be rerun the next yr on account of adjustments in ward boundaries.
He argued that scarce sources ought to as a substitute be directed in direction of companies residents depend on, reasonably than what he described as an pointless and short-lived electoral train.
However, these claims have been challenged following the disclosure that the identical council allotted £30,000 to fee a mission centred on the psychological well being and trauma skilled by asylum seekers residing within the borough, based on The Telegraph.
The funding was awarded in January 2024 to a college, with official documentation stating that the council had a long-standing dedication to supporting asylum seekers and refugees.
The said objective of the fee was to design and develop a programme addressing trauma throughout the native asylum-seeking group.
The spending has prompted accusations of inconsistent priorities.
Richard Tice, the deputy chief of Reform UK, mentioned the distinction between cancelling elections and funding such tasks would anger voters.
He claimed that residents had been being denied their democratic voice whereas public cash was diverted to causes that many taxpayers wouldn’t see as a core accountability of the council.
Campaigners argue that monetary arguments are being selectively deployed and that councils can not credibly declare poverty whereas persevering with to fund discretionary tasks.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2164874/council-cancels-elections-migrant-mental-health