Just 1.5 per cent rise in Council Tax under Island Lib Dem plans to "kickstart financial responsibility" (Isle of Wight Liberal Democrats)

Isle of Wight Liberal Democrats <info@iowlibdems.org.uk>

Just 1.5 per cent rise in Council Tax under Island Lib Dem plans to "kickstart financial responsibility"

February 19, 2010 10:00 PM

Council tax would rise by just 1.5 per cent under plans put forward by IW Council Liberal Democrats. The proposal would amend the ruling Conservative group's budget set to be debated at County Hall on 24 February. Lib Dem group leader, Cllr Reg Barry, says that the plans will kickstart financial responsibility.

Setting out the amendment, Cllr Barry, said:

"At the budget setting meeting in February 2009, my colleagues expressed a concern at a perceived lack of robustness in the Administration's proposals, and unsuccessfully requested that these be remedied before the budget and tax were set. One year on it gives us no pleasure to be proved correct, because the budget as presented represents no small tragedy to taxpayers and vulnerable service users alike.

"However much blame may be attributed to 'damping' of Government Formula Grant, the reality is that this Council has received cash increases of 14.8% over the last three years, well in excess of the increase of 9.2% for England as a whole. These amount to an extra £8m per year, compared to the £5m that an average grant settlement would have provided. Yet at a time of historically low inflation it is unable to protect vital services even with a tax rise that will be at the top end of the scale nationally."

Five strands underpin the Liberal Democrat recovery plan:

a) Moving the sustainability agenda on from gimmicks and fine words to real action

b) Identified, quantified and deliverable efficiency savings

c) Focusing on delivery, not propaganda

d) Financial prudence

e) Protecting our services from permanent damage