Liberal Democrats on South Gloucestershire Council will propose budget amendments to a meeting of Full Council on Wednesday (22nd February), committing the authority to a zero increase in council tax, protecting front-line services, and devolving more of its money to local decision-making.
Ruth Davis, Leader of the council’s opposition, said:
“We live in difficult financial times; we all know that more cuts in funding are coming, and the challenge facing this authority is how we deal with them. The Liberal Democrat group wants to ensure that South Gloucestershire residents continue to see a good service from their council, and don’t suffer from cuts to front-line services.”
“If our amendment passes, not only will there be no council tax increase, but the administration will be challenged to prioritise efficiency savings, back-office functions, and other ways of making savings without impacting the vital functions that our residents see and use every day.”
“We’re asking the executive to look at devolving powers and budgets to the existing Area Forums, so local people can come and have direct involvement into the priorities they want to work on for their streetcare, their road schemes, and other projects, as they do now when grants and road schemes are considered. We think that local communities have a better idea of what needs to be done in their areas – and if our plan passes, the existing Area Forums will have the responsibilities and the budgets to put these plans into action working with local Parish and Town Councils, local organisations and other partners.”
“Our proposals are some of the most exciting changes to the way local government works ever put forward. Thanks to government plans, if communities accept development, the council gets extra money – if our plan passes, those same communities will have a direct say over how some of that money is spent, to ensure that they benefit from the new homes built, rather than the blight of stretched resources that has happened too often in the past.”
“Not only have we proposed that communities receive the budgets and the responsibilities, we’ve identified funding to pay for extra public meetings to ensure they can go ahead. This is a fully thought-through proposal to ensure that local communities have more of a say, whilst council services are protected, without extra money from the pockets of hard-pressed council tax payers.”
Related link: Agenda for Wednesday’s Full Council meeting (SGC)
Source: Liberal Democrat Group on South Gloucestershire Council
What amendment not to incease council tax is Ruth Davis on about? Residents have already overwhelmingly expessed their desire for a council tax freeze and that is what the council has laid down in its budget. You can’t amend something to what it already is.
And her shortcomings in logic don’t stop there. She then calls for Area Forums “to have direct involvement into the priorities they want to work on for their streetcare, their road schemes, and other projects”, only to tell us in the next breath that they already do. Again, you can’t change something to what it already is.
Next comes your typical Lie Dem overblown hubristic claim that they are revolutionising the world. Halelujah for our great liberator and saviour, Ruth Davis. And finally she talks in a vague way about extra government money coming in from new development. The vagueness is intentional, to hide the fact she’s talking about the New Home Bonus which is intended for new house building, not any pet project the community chooses.
In all, what a load of empty, meaningless guff, merely to give the impression our great liberator and saviour is doing something. The LIE DEMS really do insult the electorate if they believe we’re too stupid to notice.
And to round off this masterclass in failed logic, the deliciously hilarious claim that it is “fully thought-through”. Irony has died at the hands of the Lie Dems.