Independent Labour Cllr Geoff Brodie has today announced his 13th successive Budget alternative. Ed
Cllr Brodie will assert at Budget Council this evening that Conservative proposals to salt away £3.2 into already healthy Reserves when many people are barely managing to pay their Council Tax are disgraceful.
Instead he will propose to re-direct £2.2m of those planned Reserves to reduce the Council Tax increase to 4.49% – the lowest announced so far – and to retain over £1m of services for vulnerable and young people. Including:
- £30,000 reinstatement to Cross Solent Travel support
- £360,000 reduction to the 2018/19 target for reviews of complex residential care packages’ (from £1.6m)
- £450,000 reduction to the 2018/19 proposed savings from the ‘changes to non-residential care charging policy’, with the £450k reduction then phased in equally over 2019/20 and 2020/21
- £111,500 reinstatement to the Youth Offer for one more year (as indicated to providers in autumn 2017)
- £100,000 reinstatement of discretionary, concessionary travel for people with enduring mental health problems and who require a carer when travelling
- £16,000 reinstatement of grant to the domestic violence project
Cllr Brodie will say,
“Of course none of this will be accepted because one thing we know for certain is that Conservative philosophy prioritises most things above caring for the older, the vulnerable and the young. We see that in the NHS and we see it in Adult Social Care with drastic cuts that entirely conflict with the alleged benefits of the adult social care precept.”
Image: TaxRebate.org.uk under CC BY 2.0
