COUNCIL Leader Dave Watts has launched a blistering attack on this week's Budget, accusing the Chancellor of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

He said: "Once again, it is a budget which does nothing for those who need most help - pensioners, single parents and those on benefit.

While some gain from one pence off income tax, let us not forget that the reduction of money to local authorities will mean a rise in local council taxes which will erode many of the so called gains for working people and will cause real hardship for others."

At first glance Councillor Watts said it was a pre-election "Tory con-trick" because of the hidden money-misery for many.

He added: "Around 25 per cent is being sliced off council housing modernisation and improvement programmes and there is a 10 per cent cut in the transport budget which means fewer roads will be maintained."

He said the greatest "sleight of hand" by the Chancellor was over education and that the proposed 3.6 rise in cash for education hides the fact, that once again, there is no money to pay for the annual teachers' pay rise, another hidden burden on council budgets. And once again it looks as though councils will have to try and protect school budgets to maintain education standards at the expense of other services.

Councillor Watts added that St Helens was totally committed to its education service and would try and cushion the budget impact by achieving savings in other areas.

The Council received its settlement figures yesterday (Wednesday, November 27) and is still studying the impact.

But Councillor Watts stressed that any squeeze on local authority budgets would hurt services for many elderly people who depend upon vital help for their dignity and quality of life; undermine education and hit the very heart of public provision of front line social services.

He said it was a rich man's budget at the expense of a decent standard of living for the poorer end of society.

"This is a last gasp budget from a government whose time is up. The Tories can neither be trusted with the future, nor can they make amends for the past.

"This budget confirms that a typical family will have paid more than £2,120 more in tax since the last election as a result of the tax increases since 1992. Nobody will be fooled by this, it leaves ordinary families worse off. Everyone can do their sums, seven pence up, two pence down leaves people five pence in the pound worse off because of higher taxes."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.