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		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/osborne-rejects-lib-dem-cuts-plea.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="George Osborne, visiting a JCB plant in Wrexham, defended cuts amid criticism from Lib Dem councillors" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/min-osborne-rejects-lib-dem-cuts-plea.jpg" alt="George Osborne, visiting a JCB plant in Wrexham, defended cuts amid criticism from Lib Dem councillors"/></a></p>
<p>Chancellor George Osborne has brushed aside appeals by senior Liberal Democrat councillors to slow the pace of the coalition&#8217;s spending cuts.</p>
<p>Mr Osborne said that while he understands there are &#8220;difficult decisions&#8221; to be taken on spending, it is essential that the Government tackles the deficit in the public finances.</p>
<p>Eighty-eight local Lib Dem group leaders &#8211; including 17 council leaders &#8211; signed an open letter warning that the way the cuts had been &#8220;front-loaded&#8221; by the Treasury would have an &#8220;undoubted impact&#8221; on public services.</p>
<p>Mr Osborne, however, retorted: &#8220;The national credit card had completely maxed out and if we don&#8217;t deal with that, there will be no jobs, no growth, no investment in our public services.&#8221;</p>
<p>His comments were echoed by Downing Street, which warned that putting off dealing with the deficit would simply make the situation worse in the long run.</p>
<p>&#8220;Delaying that process will just mean you need to pay more in debt interest which is money down the drain,&#8221; the Prime Minister&#8217;s official spokesman said, adding that &#8220;good councils&#8221; should have foreseen that spending cuts were on the way and prepared accordingly.</p>
<p>In their letter to The Times, the Lib Dem councillors argued that the cuts would damage the economy and hit the most vulnerable, saying: &#8220;These cuts will have an undoubted impact on all frontline council services, including care services to the vulnerable.</p>
<p>&#8220;Rather than assist the country&#8217;s recovery by making savings to the public in a way that can protect local economies and the front line, the cuts are structured in such a way that they will do the opposite.&#8221;</p>
<p>Underlining the tensions within the coalition, they also bitterly attacked the Conservative Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles for his &#8220;gunboat diplomacy&#8221; approach to dealing with councils.</p>
<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, Eric Pickles has felt it better to shake a stick at councillors than work with us,&#8221; they said.</p>
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