<![CDATA[Southend Conservatives offer a real alternative to Council Tax UP, Charges UP and Services CUT]]>Following on from the Independent, Labour and Liberal Administration’s change of heart, under significant Conservative pressure, with toilets (see my earlier post Loodicrous proposals scrapped), there are still a fair few things that need to be sorted out with this budget!

The Conservative Team

The Conservative Team

Being dismayed with the Administration’s proposals, the Conservative (shadow Cabinet) Team have put together five amendments/alternatives that would: 

Freeze Council Tax  (saving the average household £24 a year)

Freeze Car Parking Charges (supporting our High Streets and local business)

Save Our Litter Bins (helping to keep our town clean and tidy)

Maintain the town’s clothes recycling service (otherwise they will just go into landfill sites via our black bags)

Freeze Pier Charges (maintaining the good value day trip offered to families from near and far)

Click on the links above for further details. I will say much, much more on all of these amendments on Thursday, when the Council meets to discuss and set next year’s budget.

 

There are a number of other proposals we are not happy with – personally I am particularly shocked at Anne Jones’ (Labour, Executive Councillor for Children and Learning) proposals to cut £95,000 from the School Improvement Budget and taking £100,000 out from the town’s Children’s Centres budget, but there is a limit to what you can do in opposition. Sadly the damage the Administration can do, in only one year, seems almost endless.

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