Today saw the confirmation of the candidates for the election to Rugby Borough Council on May 5 2011.

It is vital that as many people as possible get out and vote in these elections, to send a message to the Coalition government that the cuts are too deep and too fast. We are seeing the effects locally as vital services are hit. The police are cutting frontline officers, care homes are under threat, evening and rural bus routes are being reduced, youth centres are being earmarked for closure or transfer, the A&E provision at St Cross is being downgraded.

The leader of Rugby Borough Council, Craig Humphrey, claimed that very little would be affected by the latest budget. Yet we see weekly that locally based voluntary groups such as Crossroads, which support the elderly with respite care, have lost their funding and may be wound up.

There is an alternative. While there are ways to save money on public spending, these do not have to mean reducing important services from the vulnerable. The speed of the government’s cuts programme is also having a negative impact on the national economy. If the recovery stalls, the government cannot blame the last government for the results of their own actions.

The Tories are bringing these cuts in at a national, county and borough level, often with what appears to be based on ideology rather than what is best for people. Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats are trying to play both sides – supporting the coalition policy one minute, and bemoaning the local effects the next.

You can see a full list of the Labour hopefuls here: May 2011 Candidates. Over the next few weeks, we will introduce some of the candidates individually on the site. Please come back and check for updates.