Labour Plans Whopping 14.5% Council Tax And £6 Million Worth Of Cuts To Services

11.03.29pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 7th Feb 2003

Paul Elgood is leading the fight against Labour's tax and cuts bombshell

Labour in Brighton & Hove look set to increase the Council Tax by a whopping 14.5% this year. They are coupling this increase with £6 million worth of cuts, many to frontline services. They are moving a budget which will see the largest rise in the history of the authority. This increase comes on top of last year's 10.9% tax increase and £3.8 million worth of savage cuts.

Councillor Paul Elgood, Lib Dem City Council Group Leader said:

"This is very bad news for residents. Residents are paying the price for Labour's financial incompetence over recent years. With this level of cuts to services it is also clear that residents are paying more and getting less for it."

"Instead of spending millions on PR and city of culture bids, the Labour Council would have done better to invest these large sums in better services for residents. Where does the Labour Party think residents are going to find this level of increase? Residents are now paying the price of Labour's mismanagement."

In May's local elections the Lib Dems are promising no more double figure council tax rises in future years and will fund it by cutting back on non-frontline areas such the Council's multi-million pound publicity budget.

When the Lib Dems took over another rotten Labour Council in Islington a few years ago they slashed £5 million worth of wastage in the first year alone and re-directed the public money into frontline services - giving residents value for money.