Lib Dem Leader Warns Conservatives On Council Tax Rises

6.51.19pm GMT Wed 3rd Mar 2004

During a passionate debate at Full Council last Thursday, Lib Dem Group Leader Councillor David Mills warned the Conservative led Tunbridge Wells Borough Council over Council Tax proposals.

He noted that most Tunbridge Wells Council Tax revenue is required by Conservative led Kent County Council. But he also remarked that at the Borough Council level, "Reserves are depleted again. The tax rate is up again - and by more than inflation, again - and plans and services are cut again".

Councillor Mills then went on to say "Eliminating the Winter Street Festival, cutting the grant contingency from the Arts Development Strategy, reducing our input to 'Britain in Bloom' - all these will make the Borough a bleaker, greyer place to live."

The Lib Dem Leader went on to say some cuts will even be considered "reckless" such as reducing the amount the Council was prepared to invest in flood prevention.

Commenting upon the use of Council Tax retained by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Cllr Mills highlighted service level shortcomings. He stated "Refuse collection, street cleansing, planning and car parks are all services where the importance people attach to them is very significantly greater than their satisfaction with them."

More worryingly, he went on to say "I can't leave this area without commenting on the alarming proposals to defer implementation of our Human Resources Strategy, and to reduce investment in member and Project Management training. This latter is a guarantee that some of our most serious problems, picked up again and again by external examiners, will get worse rather than better. Project Management has been an area of serious shortcomings for a number of years and it won't be improved if training is less than vigorously pursued and rigorously implemented. 'Quit while you're behind' seems to be the motto! "

The Conservatives were therefore given a clear warning that a lack of investment now may result in less Council efficiency, and potentially even higher Council Tax than necessary in the future.

Tunbridge Wells Liberal Democrat priorities include: -

1. Keep local taxation as low as possible consistent with the provision of high quality services to the community.

2. Campaign for a fairer system of local taxation, based on ability to pay.