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West Berkshire Liberal DemocratsWorking for you |
"Tories pinch pennies & cut valued services" - Gaines
March 8, 2007 12:00 AM
Tories have cut valuable nursery services in West Berkshire
The annual budget meeting of West Berkshire Council took place last week and saw Tory Councillors defeating Lib Dem proposals to reintroduce valued front line services they had cut in their own budget.
Lib Dems proposed budget amendments including the £4,000 needed to assure the future of the Parents as First Teachers Project based at Mrs Bland's Infant School in Burghfield Common, funding two additional Neighbourhood Wardens to cut crime in the district, and trialling the free parking proposals at the Kingsland Centre, Thatcham.
Shadow Finance spokesperson Councillor Denise Gaines explained:
"Sadly the Tories continued the theme they set last year where they cut important services which affected people throughout the district. This is best illustrated by the cuts they have imposed on Mrs Bland's Infant School, which delivers an excellent programme supporting children and families with specific needs. Only £4,000 is needed to maintain this, but the Tories voted unanimously against our proposal to fund this by increasing the council's 'back room' efficiencies. They have been shown up as petty and mean-minded once again."
Lib Dems have also revealed that the Tories are sitting on large financial reserves, keeping money and services back from the tax paying public of West Berkshire.
"By law the council must keep back 'prudent' reserves of money, but the Tories are squirreling away hundreds of thousands of pounds more than necessary which belongs, by rights, to the people of West Berkshire. Liberal Democrats want to see a small proportion of this money released to fund additional CCTV, speed detection devices, piloting free parking proposals in Thatcham to help traders, and investigating solar panels for school buildings. Shame on the Tories for their short-sightedness and penny-pinching once again."
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