Lib Dems Call For Spending On Priority Services

In the recent budget debate at Tandridge District Council, Liberal Democrats called for priority to be ruthlessly focussed on spending on public services that residents care about.

“The current administration has got its priorities all wrong,” said Lib Dem Group Leader, Jeffrey Gray. “I have counted 32 separate reserve lines in Tandridge’s budget. Tandridge is hoarding half a million pounds in atomised pots like this.”

“This has always been a problem, but this year it makes less sense than ever. As part of local government reform, Tandridge will no longer exist in three years. There needs to be a ruthless analysis of reserves held for contingencies that can no longer arise, with money released to support services and to smarten up assets. Tandridge is a solvent council, unlike others in Surrey. It must retain the highest level of service provision possible, not take hoarded money into a new unitary council and then have to face sharing the burden of other councils’ debt.”

“The Residents Alliance mantra of cutting costs while protecting public service just shows they’ve got their heads in the sand as always. How can they not notice the poor planning enforcement service, the issues with street cleaning and the shoddy maintenance of public spaces amongst so many other issues?”