Saturday, February 26, 2005
Council Budget
Council Budget Meeting
Something almost historic happened today - the disparate opposition parties on South Tyneside District Council united behind a motion to present an alternative budget for the next financial year!
The ruling Labour group, after a "public consultation" has proposed a 4.9% increase in Community Charge (Council Tax). This consultation consisted of a few meetings of focus groups, area committees, and a questionaire on the Council's website offering choices of a 4.9% increase, 5.5% increase, or a 6% increase.
Notice, there was no offer of a rate of increase in line with the current rate of inflation (1.8%), or no offer of a Council Tax freeze next year, or no offer of a reduction!!
The opposition parties are proposing a budgeted increase of 2.7% in the Community Charge, a modest but still unwelcome rise. A zero increase (or freeze) might have been achievable if South Tyneside Council hadn't have found themselves in the position of paying over £7 million compensation to it's female staff who have been adjudged to have been discriminated against in the past. To pay this sum, the Council is seeking powers from the Secretary of State to borrow the money, this will result in interest and other charges of £600,000 p.a.
The reason why I used the term "almost historic" is because I cannot remember in my lifetime an occasion when all of the opposition parties have joined together to support a single motion. The proposer of the motion will be Cllr Alan Branley (Independent) and he will be seconded by Cllr. Gordon Finch (Progressive). Significantly (and most of the public will not know this) is the fact that they must all have sat down together in one room in the recent past to discuss and agree this tactic. Bearing in mind that some of the Independents are ex-Labour members, then you have to recognise the importance of the event. Ex-Labour, Progressive, and Conservative all supporting a single policy is a very rare event! (It's such a shame that the Liberal Democrats can't find it within themselves to break their bonds with the Labour Party and join the opposition.)
My biggest hope is that they can all move on from here and see the wider implications of having a united oppostion group, if only they could agree geographical boundaries and allocate only one candidate to stand against Labour in each ward, then this town might eventually free itself from Socialist rule. (We historically have seen more people vote against Labour than for them, except the opposition votes tend to go to two or three candidates per ward, instead of one.)
This decision on the next budget (although it will inevitably be defeated by the Labour Party) might still be seen as a turning point in the politics of South Tyneside.
_________________________________________________________________
Something almost historic happened today - the disparate opposition parties on South Tyneside District Council united behind a motion to present an alternative budget for the next financial year!
The ruling Labour group, after a "public consultation" has proposed a 4.9% increase in Community Charge (Council Tax). This consultation consisted of a few meetings of focus groups, area committees, and a questionaire on the Council's website offering choices of a 4.9% increase, 5.5% increase, or a 6% increase.
Notice, there was no offer of a rate of increase in line with the current rate of inflation (1.8%), or no offer of a Council Tax freeze next year, or no offer of a reduction!!
The opposition parties are proposing a budgeted increase of 2.7% in the Community Charge, a modest but still unwelcome rise. A zero increase (or freeze) might have been achievable if South Tyneside Council hadn't have found themselves in the position of paying over £7 million compensation to it's female staff who have been adjudged to have been discriminated against in the past. To pay this sum, the Council is seeking powers from the Secretary of State to borrow the money, this will result in interest and other charges of £600,000 p.a.
The reason why I used the term "almost historic" is because I cannot remember in my lifetime an occasion when all of the opposition parties have joined together to support a single motion. The proposer of the motion will be Cllr Alan Branley (Independent) and he will be seconded by Cllr. Gordon Finch (Progressive). Significantly (and most of the public will not know this) is the fact that they must all have sat down together in one room in the recent past to discuss and agree this tactic. Bearing in mind that some of the Independents are ex-Labour members, then you have to recognise the importance of the event. Ex-Labour, Progressive, and Conservative all supporting a single policy is a very rare event! (It's such a shame that the Liberal Democrats can't find it within themselves to break their bonds with the Labour Party and join the opposition.)
My biggest hope is that they can all move on from here and see the wider implications of having a united oppostion group, if only they could agree geographical boundaries and allocate only one candidate to stand against Labour in each ward, then this town might eventually free itself from Socialist rule. (We historically have seen more people vote against Labour than for them, except the opposition votes tend to go to two or three candidates per ward, instead of one.)
This decision on the next budget (although it will inevitably be defeated by the Labour Party) might still be seen as a turning point in the politics of South Tyneside.
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