TDC Budget meeting

When Labour is in the middle of proposing a budget amendment that will help the disabled, the young homeless and the vulnerable and one of the Tory cabinet members makes a big show of ripping up and crumpling the document in front of councillors then the divide between the two parties is clear.When you add to this that Labour was proposing that this assistance was funded by removing the four Tory cabinet members who are getting over £40,000 a year between them to oversee departments that no longer exist the true priorities of the Tories in charge of TDC also become evident.

At the TDC Budget meeting the Labour group sought funding to boost local regeneration and economic development, a re allocation of the so called ‘Big Society Fund’ to enable more voluntary organisations to benefit, a reversal of the 48% increase in pitch hire charges that now means that many local sports clubs cannot afford to use council run facilities, the continuation of ‘Disabled Go’ and the investigation into establishing a Foyer in Tendring to provide a safe location for young homeless people to sleep and to receive support and training.  Labour also called for the project to upgrade and refurbish Dovercourt Swimming Pool and Sports Hall to go ahead without delay.  This project was agreed by the council in 2010 and the funding for the swimming pool is still held ready to pay for the work.  The Tories simply refuse to do it.

All of Labour’s suggestions were fully costed, accepted as legitimate amendments by the TDC Finance officers and could have been achieved without any council borrowing and without touching the £4 million in uncommitted council reserves.  All were voted down by the Tories.

In the case of the swimming pool Harwich Tories Ricky and Clare Callender refused to support the amendment even though they had voted in favour of it at Harwich Town Council last year.  We expected them to stand up for Harwich when it actually mattered but they didn’t.  Labour’s amendment was supported by councillors representing Clacton, Jaywick, St Osyth, Brightlingsea and Arlesford but our two Harwich Tories would not raise their hands.  Ramsey and Parkeston’s councillor, Tony Colbourne, actually voted against the work going ahead.

Labour ended the evening by voting against the budget.  There are, undoubtedly, things in it which Labour hopes are achieved.  However, there was no priority given to helping businesses, increased local employment and inward investment and It denied available assistance for the disabled, the homeless and the vulnerable.  The budget also funded nine cabinet members to oversee five departments and the insult of a 0.5% council tax reduction that will not buy a household a single loaf of bread each year and will jeopardise local services in future years.  This being the case, your local Labour councillors voted against it.

There was an opportunity to do so much good and to do it without any additional funding.  It was very sad and very frustrating that the Tories put more effort into blocking Labour’s proposals than they put into preparing a budget that would have been a benefit to the district.

 

Dovercourt: Frustration at delay of run-down swimming pool revamp