KENT TORIES' COUNCIL TAX SCAM EXPOSED

About two dozen business people from across Kent received a presentation from Kent County Council's current Conservative leadership on their reasons for the 4.95% council tax hike for 2007/08.

Mike Eddy, Labour Shadow Leader of Kent County Council, says:

"As usual the Tory administration presented their own churlish version of the Government's generous 4.2% increase in funding for Kent overall. Under questioning the Conservatives were forced to admit that Kent was getting unprecedented levels of Government funding for capital projects like rebuilding schools."

In their presentation the Conservatives concentrated solely on less than one quarter of the budget which received a basic increase of 2.7%.

Derek Smyth, Labour Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance, says:

"The Tories conveniently forget that the bulk of the budget received a 4.9% increase overall, mainly but not exclusively for schools. It is not helpful to Kent when the Conservatives talk down the Government's generosity and fail to take advantage of all the opportunities for investment that the Government offer."