THE Liberal Democrat opposition group on Warrington Borough Council has delivered a strongly worded attack on the controlling Labour group’s proposed budget ahead of the budget-fixing meeting on Monday (February 24).
They say they have been rigorously scutinising the proposals behind what they call “drastic budget cuts” and are offering solutions – including a roll-out of one-hour free parking across the borough
They say that despite the Labour government’s pledge to provide councils with multi-year funding settlements for financial stability, Warrington’s government grant has seen a negligible increase from £36 million last year to just £36.5 million this year.
This is in stark contrast to grants received by neighbouring councils, including St Helens which saw its grant increase from £74.1 million to £77.5 million.
The Lib Dems also accused Labour of a “concerning lack of transparency and accountability” over the budget.
Lib Dem leader Cllr Mark Browne said: “We recognize these are challenging times for all councils. While we support many of the efficiencies identified by the officers, it is concerning that Labour has not consulted with us, leaving us in the dark about many of the details behind the proposed cuts. The lack of consultation places full responsibility on the Labour leadership.
“Given the brief time for us to consider the proposals there are areas where we are seeking further information to assess their impact. However, in the last seven days, since we were given sight of these proposals, we have collaborated proactively with officers to develop alternative solutions to issues of great importance to our residents, which retain the balanced budget, and we are hopeful that our proposals will be accepted.”
The Lib Dems say the budget does reply on reserves to achieve balance. But they applaud council officers for identifying significant savings such as reducing council energy bills by £2 million and cutting interest and other loan costs by £6.5 million.
But they are concerned about proposed cuts in services and believe alternatives should be explored before the budget is finalised.
Cllr Graham Gowland flagged up changes to car parking provision.
He said: “Lymm and Stockton Heath are the only district car parks where free council parking will be removed. The negative impact on the local economies could be over £4 million, with only a slight increase in council parking revenue. We believe all district car parks should keep a free hour, but after that, council car parks should all charge. It helps manage parking and would help to balance the budget.”
Cllr Judith Wheeler expressed grave concern over proposals to close the Stockton Heath recycling centre which would to significant and far-reaching problems including increased fly-tipping.
The town’s recycling rates would plummet, undermining the council’s environmental efforts and sustainability goals.
Cllr Sharon Harris expressed concern at proposals to close one library and ask volunteers to run up to four more.
She said: “This plan overlooks the essential role that trained staff play in maintaining library services and supporting our community.”
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Also worth noting that the government has given additional financial support to four councils in the northwest including Trafford, Halton and Cheshire East.