The Labour party on the Island has issued their proposed budget, a week ahead of the IW Budget Council meeting.
Their proposal out does the ruling Conservatives with a lower increase in Council Tax of 3%, half a percent less that the Tories.
Cllr Geoff Lumley said, “For the third year running the Labour Group will have proposed a below inflation increase in Council Tax. The message for June 2009 continues to be ‘Island Labour councillors will never be spendthrifts with your money’.”
To achieve this, they propose adjustments to the spending plans put forward at the IWC Cabinet meeting on 10 February by the Conservatives that they say will bring saving of £968,000.
- Reinstatement of £311,000 that the Tories plan to cut from services for people with learning disabilities;
- Reinstatement of the £128,000 the Tories are planning to cut from the Youth Service;
- Reinstatement of the £92,000 the Tories are planning to cut from School music lesson subsidies;
- A £500,000 reduction in the overall efficiency target to help relieve pressure on jobs and a ‘no compulsory redundancies’ commitment;
- A £25 increase in the annual Residents Car Park Permit (providing income of £150,000);
- Cancellation of the expensive and largely unread ‘One Island’ Council publicity magazine, saving £59,000;
- Abandonment of the £3/4 million Environment & Neighbourhood Officers scheme, replacing it with a £300k Community Wardens scheme;
- Doubling the Tory proposals for a reduction in the Councillors Allowances scheme – to £100,000;
- A £250,000 cutback in the Conservative Council’s massively expanded £940,000 Communications operaton;
- A targeted reduction by 10% in Children’s Services Mainland Placements, realising £310,000;
- Abandonment of Schools Reorganisation, saving £250,000 in extra costs.
Council Reserves
Cllr Geoff Lumley, spokesperson for the Island’s Labout party explained why for the first time in this 4-year Council, they propose to use of Council Reserves, “Over the last three budgets this Conservative Council have benefited from well above average Government grant settlements and a settled national economy. Even the local Liberal Democrats acknowledge that.
“At such times sensible people with spare money put plenty aside for the next rainy day. However, this Council has squandered over £20 million of reserves and balances on outside consultants, petty vendettas with senior staff, and shoring up its budgetary incompetence.
It now leaves us in the position where we need to use reserves in a limited way in recognition of the recession, though that will leave little room for manoevure the year after next.”
