Last night, Conservative controlled Wycombe District Council voted to increase your Council Tax by 1.75%. What you may not know is your Liberal Democrat Opposition proposed an amendment to the budget which would have frozen the increase for this year.
Many residents have told us that they are finding things particularly hard this year. In the current tough economic climate, many people have seen their wages frozen – and in some cases even reduced. We wanted to do something to help people who are finding things tough.
Our proposal was carefully thought out – and would not have led to any cuts in services. The Conservative budget will lead to WDC having reserves of £2.15 million in the coming year. Our amendment would have cut that to £2 million exactly (which is still more than we had this year, and meets government guidelines).
Other Councils have implemented such freezes. Next time you read a Conservative leaflet promising that they are the party of lower taxes, remember how you have been treated in Wycombe. This is the second year running that Conservatives have voted through a higher Council Tax rise than that proposed by the Liberal Democrats.
