Local Conservatives push for government funding clarity

The Leader of the Sefton Conservative Group, Councillor Mike Prendergast, and his Dukes Ward colleague, Sir Ron Watson, are calling for the local Labour councillors and MPs to seek immediate clarification from their Government about the financial arrangements for Local Government.

Councillor Prendergast said: “For well over a decade, we have had nothing but complaints from Labour at all levels over Local Government funding, and it was highly significant that there was no mention at all of anything to do with Local Government as being a priority in the recent King’s Speech.

“We will need to keep an open mind on changes to the overall policy concerning Planning and the potential incursion into the green belt and my view would be that the housing developments that have taken place and are planned already for the whole of our area are sufficient and should not be subject to a dictate from the Government on a national basis.”

Councillor Sir Ron Watson said, “I think it is very noticeable that no reference has been made at all to Local Government financing and, in particular, the levels of council tax.

“At the moment, any Council that wishes to increase council tax by more than 4.99% has to seek permission from the local electorate to do so, but despite their never-ending complaints about lack of resources, Sefton’s majority Labour Council never had the courage to put larger increases to the public.

“I believe that the new Labour Government will try and slip through a change in the funding mechanism which will enable Councils to increase the council tax by whatever amount they consider to be appropriate with no restrictions on the amounts involved.

“My Conservative colleagues and I simply put out the challenge to Labour locally to make it clear to the Government that such a move is likely to be highly detrimental to the majority of local council taxpayers and that the current limit should be maintained rather than abandoned, particularly in view of the fact that it is already abundantly clear that a budget in September/October will inevitably bring tax increases in an as yet unspecified range of areas.”