WE now know that the coming cuts to local authorities will hit the average family by �182 this year. I’m very worried about how this level of cuts will affect our services in this area.

I hope that after the local elections we’ll have Labour councillors who will speak up for our area against the Tory-led Government’s unfair policies.

At the moment, here in Fenland, we are represented by Tories at every level of government so there is no-one putting forward an alternative point of view or challenging their decisions.

Labour councillors will be our community’s first line of defence against the damage being done by the Tory-led Government and their Liberal Democrat allies. Labour has always been and will continue to be the voice people in tough times.

Labour councillors will fight to:

• Support jobs with money raised from repeating the bank bonus tax - not hold back recovery with the VAT rise and cuts that will put almost one million workers out of their jobs.

• Protect police numbers - not cut them while wasting �100million on new elected police commissioners.

• Protect our frontline local services – not make unfair cuts which will hit the least well off the most.

• Get the deficit down through strong growth and sensible cuts – not by slashing too far, too fast, and putting our local economy at risk.

• Stand up for young people - not kick away the ladder by tripling tuition fees, scrapping EMAs and slashing school sport.

It is really important that people make sure they get out to vote on May 5.

The turnout for the last election in March was 21 per cent. If no-one bothers to cast their vote then the Tories will think that people support what they are doing and will see no reason to change.

It was interesting to see the big banner heading you had in the paper this week on “Vote for 2011 Baby of the Year”. It was lovely to see all those happy, healthy smiling babies.

Considering that the main front page story is directly related to the Tory cuts I hope that you will be giving equal or even greater publicity to the really important election which might actually allow people to influence decisions like the closure of vital educational services.

MARTIN FIELD

March East Labour candidate

Via e-mail