Political row over Broxtowe budget cuts
A POLITICAL storm has broken over Broxtowe Borough Council's attempts to balance its books.
The row relating to the council's efforts to plug a £1.4m hole in its finances blew up during a meeting of the council at Beeston Town Hall.
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Lib Dem council leader Michael Rich said Conservative councillors were "continuing to try to throw a spanner into the works"
In his opening speech, Lib Dem council leader Michael Rich said Conservative councillors were "continuing to try to throw a spanner into the works" by opposing plans to raise money and cut costs.
In October, Tory members also walked out of a cross-party working group set up to find ways to reduce the budget deficit.
Coun Rich said: "When the Tories agreed to join the cross-party working group on the implementation of a very difficult financial budget, we thought that it might be useful to have their ideas.
"It was a serious mistake on the part of the controlling partnership, as it was obvious from the outset that they had no ideas to put forward at the working group anyway. Their sole purpose was to continue their opposition at any cost to this council."
Coun Rich added: "They opposed us at every turn and used their position on the working group to glean information about the lines of our thinking, all the better to prepare their opposition to any suggestions we made to save money.
"Well, they have now resigned from that group and we are very happy about that, because we have now started to make some significant progress and expect to deliver on what was a very difficult budget."
A number of other Lib-Dem councillors also accused the Conservatives of attempting to "torpedo" their efforts to balance next year's budget.
But the Tories said they were serving residents by scrutinising the plans being proposed.
Coun Richard Jackson, leader of the council's Conservative group, said: "The budget working group was our idea. It wasn't taken up in the first place. Had the council done so nearly two years ago it could have been finding savings.
"We would have been in a better place at the last budget to put a serious budget together that balanced, and not congratulating ourselves 11 months later for finding savings."
Coun Rich's speech came ahead of a debate over two motions tabled by Conservative councillors Jill Owen (Nuthall) and Mel Crow (Kimberley).
They called for the council to reconsider cuts to parish and town council grants and introduce car parking charges in the borough next year. The council voted against both motions. continue with its plans as proposed.
Lib-Dem Bramcote councillor Stan Heptinstall said "party politics" had been hindering the council's ability to make decisions.
He said: "I have got to the point when I do not like coming here because of the argy-bargy. If we put half as much effort into thinking positively together for the people of this borough as we do in pulling each other apart, we'd be far better off."
bryan.henesey@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk
5 Comments
by Grenville Green, Nuthall
Friday, December 25 2009, 1:07AM
“Too many officers and too many councilors playing party politics at our expense.
It's not rocket science. Nuthall parish council is a prime example.”
by Mr. Sensible, The Real World
Wednesday, December 23 2009, 10:15PM
“But John, as I say, I can well understand the need to introduce parking charges, but there are ways of doing it. It is frankly nonsensical to introduce a model that Gedling stands to lose a lot of money from.
Because, a lot of those who come in to Beeston tend I think to get the large majority of their shopping done within the hour. And for those that don't the rate is very generous in Broxtowe compared to Gedling.
And everyone's budgets are streched; I agree with that, but, in Broxtowe and in other Nottinghamshire boroughs this problem is exacerbated in that as a result of the County Council's tax freeze (I won't go over the cons of that again) and the passing on of service costs to borough councils they are having to plug holes in their budgets.
I wonder if the City Council is having to take on extra costs as a result of County Hall's budget?
Happy Christmas.”
by John, Carlton
Wednesday, December 23 2009, 6:04PM
“Sensible,
I've been pointing out the hypocrisy of one party criticising the other for service cuts and carparking charges for months now.
Your arguments are really facile. If you take your party coloured glasses off you will see the same pressures on all the councils and they are trying to tackle them in the same way. If you condemn Gedling for car park charges you must condemn Broxtoe. If you condemn the County for cutting community centres you must condemn the City when they do the same. Its a no brainer - you can't have it both ways. Car park charges are right or wrong, service cuts are right or wrong - it makes no difference who's imposing them.”
by Mr. Sensible, The Real World
Wednesday, December 23 2009, 4:13PM
“John, I understand what you're saying, but unfortunately it takes 2 to tango, and some things just have to be said.
I can't believe the Tories have got the nurve to criticise the planned introduction of parking charges, since Tory Gedling have done exactly the same. Is it because Broxtowe does not plan to adopt the Gedling model, which is forcing local traders to the wall and on which the council is losing money? At least Broxtowe's model makes the first hour free at all times, and Broxtowe's top rate is £3 compared with £10 for Gedling.
And as for the criticism of the plan to cut funding to Town and Parish councils, I would like to see how the Tories plan to sort things out, given that the budget pressures are at least partly caused by the passing on of costs from Notts County Council, as Richard Jackson himself supports.
I think the Tories need to use the Christmas period to take a good hard look at themselves in the mirror and come up with something better than that.
BTW, as it's Christmas Eve tomorrow, Merry Christmas to all contributers on here, whether we agree on stories or not.”
by John, Carlton
Wednesday, December 23 2009, 10:22AM
“Its about time all parties locally calmed down and realise that in the end they are here to serve the public and not to use their offices as an excuse to air their petty political squabbles. Since the County went Conservative all hell has seemed to break loose.
This entrenched attitude of non-cooperation does not give either party an advantage and the only loser is the poor council tax payer.
These people need to grow up a bit.”