Cllr Barry Rawlings says his party’s first Westminster budget for 14 years sets a course to rebuild public services

Barry Rawlings pictured outside Hendon Town Hall (credit Barnet Council)

The Labour Budget announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer last week is built on truths we all know: that a strong NHS needs to be paid for; that an economy of rising wages and low prices needs investment; that not everything can be fixed at once.

Conservative opponents are either conning you or themselves when they hide from these truths. Oppose every tax that will pay for a revitalised NHS. Scare over every investment to get the economy moving.

They are trying to run away from reality, just as Boris Johnson and Liz Truss attempted.

Conservatives hiding from reality gave us soaring interest rates, stagnating wages, rising prices, spiralling NHS waiting lists, crumbling schools and overflowing prisons.

Worst still, ignoring reality ties our hands so we cannot do the right thing.

The right thing by the 30,000 victims of the infected blood scandal, owed 12 billion pounds in compensation which was left unfunded by the Conservatives.

The right thing by the sub postmasters falsely accused of breaking the law in the Post Office Horizon scandal. They are owed 2 billion pounds in compensation left unfunded by the Conservatives.

The right thing by the nurses and care workers whose heroic service during the pandemic Conservatives were happy to clap. But they aren’t willing to pay these public servants properly.

Remember that every time a Conservative opposes a money-raising measure in the budget, they are arguing we should betray these people.

But with this budget, Labour decided it was time to do the right thing.

And not just by the victims of the infected blood and the Post Office Horizon scandal.

An extra £25 billion for the NHS over the next two years, providing 40,000 more elective appointments per week and 30,000 more procedures.

More than £2 billion given to schools so they can recruit 6,500 teachers.

More than £20 billion for research and development, so we can speed up our economy to provide the higher wages, lower costs and strong public services that we all want.

Raising the minimum wage to £12.21 per hour.

Clamping down on tax loopholes and benefit fraud.

Increasing the carers allowance weekly earnings limit to allow carers to work more hours before losing support.

These are all the right thing to do.

It is also right to keep the triple lock in place for pensioners, so after last year’s rise of at least £690, the 2025 increase will be at least £363 rising to a maximum £470. This means all pensioners, including those who no longer recieve the winter fuel allowance, will see an increase in income.

Labour have protected working people from tax rises, but the better off and larger businesses are being asked to pay more.

This is what it means to face up to reality, and not hide from it.

One of the difficult truths for those of us on the side of change is that not everything can be fixed at once.

And that includes government support for councils like Barnet.

There is very welcome funding on its way for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Local authorities will be helped to protect and expand the number of council homes. That will bring down our temporary accommodation costs, freeing up resources that will benefit all residents.

But while the cavalry may have arrived, it hasn’t yet got the ammunition ready to solve all the financial problems we have inherited and the challenges that local government faces.

This will take take time and there will still need to be serious savings made at the council, and we will have to deliver services differently.

But we have at last a government, working with local authorities, that accepts the basic facts of reality. With this recognition we can start to rebuild our economy, NHS and public services. The Labour budget set us on course to do just that.

Cllr Barry Rawlings is the leader of Barnet Council.

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