Worcester Liberal Democrats Defend Budget Actions After Securing Major Wins for Residents

Worcester Liberal Democrats have responded to criticism following yesterday’s Worcestershire County Council budget meeting, where the group secured a series of major amendments before leaving the chamber ahead of the final vote.

Cllr Jessie Jagger was forced to defend the Lib Dem record after an attack by Green Party co-leader Cllr Alex Mace at this evenings (27th Feb) Extraordinary City Council meeting which ignored what the group had actually delivered for residents.

“The hardest thing about being a Liberal Democrat is how quickly we become everyone’s punchbag. It’s a bit like being the caretaker at a party full of drunk teenagers and getting the blame for cleaning the toilets.”

She stressed that the Liberal Democrats are not the administration at Worcestershire County Council and did not set the final budget.

“Why should Liberal Democrats take the blame for this mess when we are not in power at Worcestershire County Council? We are not the administration setting the budget, and crucially, we did not vote for a 9% increase.”

Before walking out, the Liberal Democrats secured amendments focused on infrastructure, safety and support for vulnerable residents.

Safer Roads and Tackling Neglect

Liberal Democrats secured:

• A £1 million Drainage Stability Fund, funded from an unallocated Department for Transport Highways Maintenance Block, to address persistent drainage failures across the county.
• Targeted improvements to side roads in Bromsgrove that have been “hammered day in and day out” due to the BREP road improvement scheme.
• £5 million from an unallocated DfT Highways Maintenance Block to raise the carriageways at Eckington Bridge and Pershore Bridge — both frequently closed due to flooding.

Cllr Jagger said “I do not want my husband worrying every time I hit another pothole and send our car back to the garage. Residents are fed up with roads that have been neglected for years.

Protecting Pedestrians and Village Footpaths

The group also secured:

• £5 million from an unallocated Local Transport Grant to increase the number of pedestrian crossings across the county.
• Investment in village footpaths and new cycleways, including in Malvern and Worcester.
• A new allocation of £17,500 per councillor for footpath works in their divisions — funded by redirecting £1 million previously earmarked for a scaled-back project at Redditch railway station after the cancellation of the larger £12 million refurbishment.

Cllr Jagger added “In Claines, elderly residents have told me they are too afraid to leave their homes because footpaths have become dangerous. That is not acceptable.”

Supporting SEND Families

Liberal Democrats also secured:

• A £200,000 feasibility study to assess whether existing council-owned buildings could be converted into new SEND schools.

Speaking personally, Cllr Jagger said “I do not want SEND students facing more stress and delays. Families deserve local provision, stability and support — not uncertainty.”

Cllr Jagger said the group refused to take what she described as the “easy political option.”

“The ambitious political move would have been to let the budget collapse and then point fingers. But Liberal Democrats are not career politicians first. We are teachers. We are parents, sons and daughters.”

She continued “This was not a simple choice between a 9% increase or no increase. It was a choice between deliberately causing chaos for residents or doing something about it. So we acted. We safeguarded services. And then we walked out. That was the morally correct thing to do — not the easy political choice.”

The Liberal Democrats reiterated that they are not the administration at Worcestershire County Council and did not vote for the 9% increase.

“I would be very happy for Liberal Democrats to take responsibility for council tax increases when Liberal Democrats are actually running the council. But that decision belongs to the voters.”

The group said they will continue to engage constructively in future budget debates to mitigate risks, secure practical outcomes, and hold the administration to account.

See Jessie’s statement in Council below: