The ruling Labour Executive of Luton Council met on Monday 4th January to swing the first axe through jobs and services in the town and opposition Liberal Democrat councillors say they are aiming at the wrong targets.

“They said they were going to hit the back office functions and protect front line services,” says Liberal Democrat leader, David Franks. “Instead they are sacking the people who do the job while the bureaucratic empires stay where they are. The Labour Council is aiming the axe at the wrong targets.”

“The next couple of years are going to be hard for everyone as we all struggle to get the country’s economy out the mess it is in and none of us takes any pleasure in the fact that some Council employees are going to lose their jobs. But Labour should not be using this as an opportunity to sack the people who keep our streets clean and make sure our food is safe, now is the time to take a good hard look at the multiple layers of management in the Town Hall. We’ve lost count of how many £100,000 plus senior executives they have taken on in the three years since they took over.”

The report to the Council’s Executive states that the Council is owed £16M in Council Tax it has not collected.