What a pathetic shambles Northumberland Tories delivered on ‘Budgie Day’.

It was far too cold for us codgers to sit at our park bench today so we visited a community facility in Ashington that the Tories who set their budget today refused to sponsor.

Over a few cups of tea we watched the events on social media unfurl at County Hall and could almost smell both the fear of deselection or the failure to pick up and pocket a valuable increase in their special allowances from the Tories assembled in Britain's most expensive half refurbed almost unused County Hall.

As usual the meeting formula dragged on a bit as top Tory, Dodgy Dick Wearmouth kept sweeping his team with his laser eye in case a smirk of descent or a single dot from his ironclad script slipped from the pages and onto the lips of those he controls. Today possibly took his focus from deselecting regional Conservatives who aren’t fully locked into the return of Boris Johnson. We codgers noted those forced out, both men and women in North Tyneside and Sunderland are to be replaced by ultra-right Johnsonite men.

The move towards the budget itself came with opposition Councillors bringing out the negatives against its acceptance LibDems, Labour and Independents waxed lyrical about Job Losses, the impact of this budget on Communities, the lack of risk assessment and public consultation and the secrecy with which this budget has been put together does not bode well for people County-wide as the Caller report on joint responsibilities went out of the window at its first test. Dodgy Dicks mates took no notice.

The speakers pointed out that this budget which may pay off hundreds, take borrowing through the roof and deliver less of what people need and more of what Tories want.

It was said people need:

An equality impact assessment to see how this Tory budget affects those who already find themselves suffering from dodgy Tory national policy debacles.

A series of risk assessments on the effects on Council workers to give them assurance on matters including workload once their colleagues leave the service or are forced from their jobs.

A risk assessment on the nonsense of not consulting correctly on this budget with the public before releasing it to be voted on.

Opposition speakers pointed out how service slippage had reached epidemic proportions and one wit also alluded to the social media rants about the ignorant parking of the Leader of Council blocking off peoples drives and not owning up to it.

With such obvious matters as road gully cleaning falling back from twice a year to once every thirty-six months in a County where in recent memory the river Tyne has burst its banks twice and Labour found funding to properly finish Morpeth’s flood defences to protect homes from the ravages of the river Wansbeck as well as repair bridges and bunds in Wylam, Corbridge and beyond is deplorable and downright dangerous for residents living in a county with so many rivers and the North Sea tides as its Eastern boundary.

This budget pushes families from poorer areas to the limit, more will have to sell homes to pay for care, more will have to wait longer to have work undertaken and more will have to choose paying increased rent or to feed their families. What have these Tories brought Northumberland communities down to?

The meeting which was the first attended by the Council’s new but very experienced Chief Executive will be one to remember for her, as she has inherited a failing authority with an administration where control is all and the majority of Councillors from that ruling administration are like rabbits in the headlamps.

It's sad, but thats what you get from Tories at all levels.