| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Cllr Ruth Cadbury at today's read-in | |
| Posted by: | Hazel Dakers | |
| Date/Time: | 09/02/11 10:55:00 |
| Ed I found your clarification helpful. I have one point of clarification and one question for you. 1. The LibDem Group on Hounslow Council this time last year proposed a small increase in Council Tax be introduced for the year in which we are now - the current financial year. Had this been implemented the cuts would have needed to be less severe in the next financial year. 2. I am astonished to hear that members of the Licensing Committee received remuneration (in addition to that of being a councillor)for being part of this committee. So my stance remains that this was no time to increase the payment to its chairman. The saving would have been made greater by simply removing the payment of members. Why was this different from being a member of Sustainable Development or Scrutiny? 3.I recommend readers of this discussion to read an excellent piece by Simon Jenkins http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/08/cameron-council-tax-thatcher-cap and will quote a small extract: "Over the past three years, while Whitehall was still spending recklessly, local councils saw trouble coming. In Labour's last year, as Alistair Darling capped council taxes ever tighter, local spending rose a mere 1%, while central government was increasing by 3%-5%. In Osborne's October cuts, local government was told to take a cut in grant of 27% in real terms by 2015. This compares with a 7% for defence and 3% for education. Councils were banned from making up for that cut by raising local taxes, as might happen in any other country in Europe. "What has happened was predictable. Since savings rarely come through in years one and two, councils have front-loaded their cuts in early years to gain the benefit in later years." |