Lawrie Quinn's Letter to John Sykes

Dear John

In the Financial Times on Monday, the Conservative Party revealed that it is now their policy to cut public spending by £20 billion. The level of spending cuts the Conservative Party is now committed to will mean savage cuts to schools, hospitals and the police in Scarborough & Whitby.

In fact, £20 billion of cuts would means on average £30 million of cuts in every constituency including here in Scarborough & Whitby. Cuts on this scale in Scarborough & Whitby would mean at least:

Over 50 police officers cut
75 teachers cut
30 doctors cut
Over 35 nurses cut
75 care places for the elderly cut

Around 13,000 pensioner households in Scarborough & Whitby could lose at least £7 a week, £9 if they are couples. and £11 if they are over 75. Some 1,700 families in Scarborough & Whitby stand to lose £30 a week.

Many pensioners and people with disabilities will be very concerned that these policies would put in jeopardy the hard won national concessionary bus scheme which .you are on record locally as supporting.

The once in a generation opportunity for renewal and enhancement of the A64 transport corridor into the area offered by the current government's Ten Year transport plan would be in serious doubt.

The Plaxton workforce are saddened that your lack of support for local businesses on the Eastfield Industrial estate and your Party's pledge to abolish the crucial Yorkshire regional and European support packages puts in doubt the community's wider ambitions for economic recovery after the devastating TransBus announcement.

Given your Party's admission of planned cuts to public services, voters have a right to know what the Conservative Party would cut in Scarborough & Whitby.

Which local schools and hospitals face closure? Where would the local doctors and nurses in Scarborough & Whitby have to be axed? Which teachers in Scarborough & Whitby face the sack? At which local police stations would officers will be cut?

Between now and the election I will be exposing the effect your commitment to cut at least £30 million from public services in Scarborough & Whitby would have on our local schools, local hospitals,. local businesses and local police.

It is time you came clean on what the Tories would cut. The people of Scarborough & Whitby are entitled to know.

Lawrie

Lawrie Quinn. Labour candidate for Scarborough & Whitby.

Image of Lawrie Quinn's letter to John Sykes (from fax)

Back to front page!