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KCC CONSERVATIVES REJECT LABOUR PLANS TO SAVE YOU MONEY
At a meeting of Kent County Council today to consider the Council’s Budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan, Kent Labour put forward an amendment which would have cut the proposed council tax rise from 3.9% to 3.5%. Labour’s proposal was roundly rejected by the Council’s Conservative administration.
The Labour amendment – one of two they put forward - would have meant that council tax on an average property would have remained under £1000 a year.
Derek Smyth, Labour Deputy Leader and Finance spokesperson, said: “We in Kent Labour know that hardworking council taxpayers don’t see why they should pay over £1000 a year to fund KCC’s corporate communications PR machine, for example.
“We put our amendment forward to try and get a fairer deal for council taxpayers. At the end of the day, though, we’re not surprised that the Conservatives would happily continue to waste other people’s money”.
Kent Labour also put forward an amendment to move the £300,000 set aside for Paul Carter’s Health Watch scheme and invest it in grants to voluntary organisations. Again, the Conservatives rejected this proposal.
Mike Eddy, Labour Shadow Leader, said: “The Labour Government is currently setting up and financing a complaints procedure through Kent County Council called LINks. This will go beyond what Health Watch is supposed to do, because its remit will include social care as well as health. But the Conservatives have decided to go ahead and spend £300, 000 doubling up on what the Government’s already doing.
“To put it another way, 300 households are going to pay for Paul Carter’s pet project”.
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