A PROTESTER was thrown out of Ebley Mill for heckling during a heated debate over the £1.9 million of cuts in Government funding Stroud District Council is facing over the next two years. Campaigner James Beecher was ejected from the council chamber on Thursday night after heckling Cllr Graham Trave (Con, Coaley and Uley) as he criticised an amendment to the budget put forward by the Green party.

SDC is facing some of the largest cuts in the country and Cllr Sarah Lunnon (Green, Valley) said she wanted the Government to make a public response to Whitehall cuts.

"Rather than just acting as the hatchet man for the Government, they should take a step to reduce the deficit rather than reducing spending on public services," she told the SNJ afterwards.

One example of this she explained could be to increase the number of tax inspectors to chase up unpaid tax in the country.

But Cllr Trave did not agree with his colleague.

"It is one of the silliest amendments I have ever heard in my life," he told the meeting.

"The reason we are here today is because people have squandered our reserves."

This provoked an outburst from Mr Beecher, 26, from Stroud Against The Cuts, who shouted: "We are going to be really angry with you cutting the budget. "You do not represent us. I will not let the council put this budget through."

Earlier 20 campaigners gathered outside Ebley Mill brandishing banners and placards.

Mr Beecher said he had hoped the district council would face up to the 28 per cent Government cuts over the next two years.

These are the largest cuts faced by any council in England.

"Councillors seem more concerned with putting money into reserves and repeating central government ideology than they are with representing the interests and needs of the people of Stroud," he said after the meeting.

"I might be a little bit embarrassed of my actions but they should be ashamed of theirs."

Mr Beecher, who is studying for a Phd in economics at Cardiff University, had already been warned by chairman John Hudson after he yelled 'total, total rubbish,' about the cuts plans.

He called on councillors to vote against the budget and to call on Whitehall to provide them with adequate funding so cuts are not necessary.

Cllr Mark Rees (Lab, Cainscross) gave the Stroud protester a pat on the back.

"I totally sympathise," he said outside the meeting.

Cllr Rees said the Government was not listening to the electorate’s needs.

"I think he has a voice whether you agree with it or not. People like him need to be heard in this democratic society," he said.

The budget was passed and council leader Frances Roden later told the SNJ the cuts were necessary because the country has been spending more than it has been receiving in income.

"We have accumulated a lot of national debt. Either we have to spend less or else we have to tax more," she said.

"We have to impose cuts for the greater good of the country", The council also agreed not to increase to its portion of council tax for the year ahead, with council tax for an average ‘band D’ property remaining at £186.93.

Commenting on the outcome of the meeting, Stroud MP Neil Carmichael said: "Despite what has been said about reductions in public expenditure, SDC has been able to freeze council tax, avoid large scale compulsory redundancies and add some areas of growth."

He said the council had not hidden its head in the sand but had risen to the challenge of accepting that tough decisions need to be made.