KENT LABOUR'S ALTERNATIVE BUDGET WOULD PROTECT PENSIONERS

Kent Labour presented an alternative budget at today's meeting of Kent County Council to set the level of Council Tax.

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

"Kent Labour's move would reduce the Council Tax demand from 4.5% to 3.6%. This 3.6% figure is in line with the benefits uplift.

It protects those on fixed incomes and is even less than the Government's suggestion as a maximum rise for Kent. And it maintains services."

A copy of Mike Eddy's speech is below:

Kent Labour has a set of clear priorities for this Council

The people of Kent

The services they receive from this Council

The staff who deliver those services.

The people of Kent deserve a Council which respects them, which helps those in need and which encourages those who can provide for themselves.

That is why Kent Labour is proposing through this amendment to the budget to reduce the council tax demand to a 3.6% increase.

This is in line with the benefits uplift. It therefore protects those on fixed incomes and is 0.3% less than what the Government suggested as a maximum rise for Kent.

It requires no reduction in services. Indeed, it maintains services.

It restores the threatened cuts to our libraries. Our libraries are the cornerstone of our cultural life, of our education system and of the outreach work of this Council. Through our libraries we can reach out to the people we are here to serve.

It restores the threatened cuts to Democratic Services. Democratic Services should be the other cornerstone of how we reach out to the people of Kent. The current Leader of the Council has repeatedly said that the Local Boards have failed. It is not the Boards that have failed. It is the current administration that has failed them by not reforming Democratic Services and by not funding the Local Boards.

It maintains the level of domiciliary care charges to our most vulnerable at its present rate.

It achieves this by abandoning some of the more self-indulgent or woolly 2010 targets like the Kent TV station. Cartervision.

It recognises Government special grants and trims down to size the more fanciful inventions within the budget proposed by the administration.

Kent Labour is proposing a budget based on prudence. We know that we are responsible for the council tax raised and for the taxpayers' contribution given to us by Government.

We have achieved a prudent level of responsible spending and a modest council tax increase.

In moving the amendment before you I know that the Cabinet Member for Finance is on record as saying that he wanted a council tax rise of less than 4.95% but that he couldn't provide it without cutting services. We have cut the council tax rise and maintained services. I would ask you all to support this amendment.