Last April saw a series of negative newspaper headlines for Labour coupled with the resurgence of David Cameron’s new Tories. In the local elections on May 4 2006, the Conservatives won many council seats and took control of much of west London.

One borough gained by the Tories was Hammersmith & Fulham, after 20 years of Labour control. Almost a year on, it’s clear what a disaster the Conservative council is for local residents, particularly those who are elderly, disabled, and low-income families.

Two months before the elections, a leading Tory councillor let slip that they had a ‘secret budget’. But they refused to reveal its content before polling day. That was hardly surprising given that their programme of £34m cuts is now having a devastating impact on services in Hammersmith & Fulham.

The Tories have made huge cuts in home help services, restricting the number of frail and disabled people getting home care. They have also gone back on a manifesto pledge and are introducing charges for home helps. Already they have hiked charges for meals on wheels by over £200 a year and made big cuts in services for people with mental health problems.

The list of cuts is endless. Nearly £1m has been cut from the street-cleaning budget even though the Tories campaigned on so-called ‘dirty streets’. Services for children, young people and families have been slashed – children’s centres have been downsized, youth services slashed and the mobile library service scrapped.

One secondary school faces the axe but a strong campaign against its closure has stalled the Tories. They also plan to close several local primary schools – with the aim of selling off all the sites.

Pilots of 24/7 neighbourhood policing in two parts of the borough have been accompanied by cuts in police numbers in other areas which have higher crime rates.

Cameron’s much-loved voluntary sector isn’t safe from the axe either. The biggest cut has been reserved for Hammersmith & Fulham law centre which enables some of the most vulnerable and excluded local residents to access legal services.

On the same day that the Tory council agreed its 2007/2008 budget with the £34m cuts package, Conservative councillors voted themselves an 18 per cent pay rise. Only when this was publicly exposed, did the Tories claim it was a ‘clerical error’.

Hammersmith & Fulham shows that Cameron’s Conservatives mean big cuts in public services and an end to progressive policies.

As we approach the 2007 local elections, Labour must remain united in the face of a growing media onslaught. A bold and radical agenda is needed to regain the trust of the British people plus sustained communications to get the message across that Labour can continue to change Britain for the better.

For more about the Conservative cuts in Hammersmith & Fulham, check out: http://hfconwatch.blogspot.com/