Clegg to rally council candidates

Mr Clegg will say that Lib Dem councils are putting taxpayers’ interests first

Lib Dem councils in England are doing a better job of protecting services than Labour and Conservative ones, Nick Clegg will argue as he rallies party candidates ahead of local elections.

The deputy prime minister will say no Lib Dem-controlled council is closing a children’s centre or a library.

He will accuse Labour town halls of “slash and burn” tactics and Tory councils of “mistakes” locally.

Labour accuse the Lib Dems and their Tory allies of penalising poorer areas.

The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition is reducing central funding to councils, as part of its package of spending cuts aimed at tackling the UK’s budget deficit.

Lib Dem councillors have expressed anger that the budget squeeze has made them vulnerable in local elections on 5 May – with more than 90 criticising the scale and speed of cuts expected of local authorities in a letter to the Times in February.

The number of Lib Dems putting themselves up for election is also down on 2007, according to figures released this month.

But addressing candidates in Sheffield – a Lib Dem-controlled council and the area Mr Clegg represents in Parliament – the Lib Dem leader will say his party’s councillors are taking a more responsible approach to savings than their Labour and Conservative counterparts.

Mr Clegg said councils such as Sheffield, Portsmouth and Bristol had minimised redundancies and protected libraries and children’s centres but accused various Labour controlled councils of “slash and burn”, closing libraries and facilities.

“Our councillors up and down the country are proving that, even in tough times, we can do great things,” Mr Clegg will say. “We are making difficult decisions with compassion and intelligence, keeping pain to a minimum and protecting the people who need the most help.”

While reserving his sharpest attacks for Labour – accusing them of “putting politics before honesty” over their strategy towards reducing the UK’s deficit – Mr Clegg will also urge his activists to “take the fight” to the Conservatives.

He will accuse two Conservative-controlled councils of rejecting Lib Dem proposals to help protect libraries and subsidised bus services.

“Working together in the national interest does not mean we agree on everything. And it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be taking the fight to the Tories in the local elections,” Mr Clegg will say.

“When the Conservatives have local priorities that are not our priorities, we should say so.

“When the Conservatives are making mistakes locally, we should say so.”

He is not expected to refer to Thursday’s immigration row between his Lib Dem colleague Vince Cable and Prime Minister David Cameron.

Mr Clegg will say the Lib Dems “earned their stripes” in local government and, despite having to make tough and controversial decisions nationally, ministers are driven by the “same values” as their local colleagues and remain focused on helping those most in need.

Labour have said poorer areas will be disproportionately affected by the budget squeeze and their councils will be “the first line of defence” against cuts.

While conceding councils are facing “incredibly tough” choices, Mr Cameron has said Conservative town halls have proved they provide value for money and get things done on housing, enterprise, recycling and children’s facilities.

More than 9,500 council seats are being contested in next month’s poll – the largest test of public opinion since last year’s general election.

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