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Fears that local government will bear the brunt of cutbacks under a Conservative Government have grown after a succession of shadow ministers made budget commitments at the party's weekend spring conference. While insisting that the budget deficit had to be tackled ‘from day one', should he win power, Tory leader, David Cameron, stressed that he ‘loved the NHS', and would always defend it. Shadow chancellor, George Osborne, earlier pledged: ‘The Conservative Party will not cut the NHS budget.' And shadow health secretary, Andrew Lansley, promised to ‘increase health spending in real terms, year by year, through the next parliament.' He added: ‘We have a rising birth rate, an ageing population, escalating threats to our public health, worsening health inequalities, medical advances bringing new opportunities but at new costs, and all this demands that we protect the NHS budget. That is our pledge. We will not cut the NHS.' Shadow justice secretary, Dominic Grieve, said a Conservative Government would ‘ensure we have prison capacity so the early release system is consigned to history.' Shadow Treasury chief secretary, Philip Hammond, promised more university places, and Caroline Spelman reiterated her pledge to match council tax from all new housing for six years and from affordable housing match it to the tune of 12.5%. She also repeated Mr Osborne's commitment to match-fund a rise of 2.5% in council tax for two years, thereby freezing it. Shadow families minister, Maria Miller, called for 4,200 extra health visitors to help Sure Start and boost early years intervention. Mr Cameron promised that marriage would be recognised in the tax system and that pensions would be linked to earnings. And Ken Clarke said the party would ‘strive to avoid or mitigate' next year's increase in National Insurance. With defence and police likely to be spared cuts under the Conservatives, the brunt will therefore fall on the £100bn annual local government budget.

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WHITEHALL

Spending pledge fears

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