Budget Update

5.43.41pm GMT Mon 13th Feb 2006

West Berkshire Council has been accused of misleading the public following the publication of a bar chart in the document "West Berkshire Council Budget 2006/7 Facts & Figures" which claims to compare government grant increases over the past four years.

The comparison bar chart "Year on Year Increase in government grant to WBC" does not include the increase in money for schools in 2006/7 while including the increases for previous years. The grant of £82.590m comprises almost half of the Council's total budget of £174m which makes the effect of this significant and misleading.

Cllr Denise Gaines (Lib Dem, Hungerford), Shadow Executive Member for Finance says:

"Despite the above inflation settlement that they received from the Government the Conservatives are pleading poverty. At the same time they propose raiding funding promised to schools, hiking car parking charges in Newbury by up-to 29.6% and increasing care home costs for the elderly by 7%. This spin by the Conservatives on their first attempt at a budget is deeply misleading."

• Tax rises announced at Lib Dem run Newbury Town 2.4% & 1.58% Thatcham Town Councils are below the Conservative run Unitary Council's 2.9%.

• Last year after finally winning a fair settlement from the Govt the Lib Dems halved the tax rise - this year the Tories only managed to cut 1% off the rise and that without fully explaining where £3.4 million of cuts will fall.

• Money promised to school raided by the Council

Key charges increases

* Up to 33.3% rise in car parking charges in Newbury (most 16.6%+). Lib Dems kept almost all Newbury parking charges down to 0% since West Berkshire went Unitary, to promote the town

* WBC residential care homes for the elderly will rise by 7%

Key service reductions (those that are not hidden)

* Mean - Moving from hot meals for the elderly and vulnerable to frozen meals - £20k

* Mean - Cutting the £7k Library Summer reading Challenge that almost 5,000 children participated in last year