Salma Yaqoob

Council boss Stephen Hughes has given a glimpse of the future the 'progressive partnership' have in store for the people of Birmingham. In a revealing interview with BBC WM's Steve Dyson he says there are at least £230m cuts on the way over the next four years. There be less council staff, less council services, less funding for community organisations.

These cuts are in addition to a multitude of government cuts which, when they cascade down, will have a devastating impact on those communities most in need. Cuts to housing benefit alone are set to leave poorest £600 worse off.

This government's austerity package is unnecessary and driven by dogma. The Tories are exploiting an economic crisis caused by private sector greed as an excuse to slash public spending. But I expected no different from them. It is the behaviour of the Liberal Democrats that is especially shocking. They have sold their soul and no amount of libertarianism on personal freedoms can disguise it. They will have no role to play in protecting Birmingham's poorest from the coming storm. They should be made to pay the price for their craven ambition at the ballot box .