PLANS for council cuts and a council tax hike shows there is “no end in sight for austerity” in Worcestershire, the leader of the county council’s Labour group has said.

Labour said the £23 million of cuts proposed for next year and the almost four per cent increase in council tax for households across the county announced last week show “more of the same” despite promises by Prime Minister Theresa May that austerity was coming to an end.

Redditch county councillor Robin Lunn, leader of the county council’s Labour group, said the problems have been caused by the government’s incompetence over funding adult social care sufficiently and said it needs to take the problem seriously.

He said: “The major problem continues to be caused by the inability of the Conservative government to fund adult social care properly or even publish its green paper on the subject which is over a year late.

“While austerity continues to reign, we all suffer. It is time to end this emasculation of councils and for the Conservative government to finally fund adult social care properly.

“When is the government going to take this matter seriously and realise that it is a long term issue which is not going to go away?”

Cllr Lunn said the government’s very late green paper on adult social care as well as Brexit infighting has meant county councils have struggled by using more of its budget to fund social care and less on paying for everything else.

He said it was not surprising “the spectre of Northamptonshire” - where the authority had to declare itself bankrupt - continues to loom over county councils, while authorities were taking the “unsustainable” move of using reserves to plug financial gaps.

Cllr Lunn said the county’s problems would be further exasperated by the £9.4 million cut from the government’s contribution to the council.

Labour said it would return after Christmas with its own set of proposals in time for the council’s budget meeting in February.

Cllr Lunn said Labour would end the library consultation and secure the future of all the libraries in Worcestershire and scrap plans to introduce parking charges at Worcester Woods.

The draft budget will be discussed by the council’s cabinet later today Thursday, December 13.