to win voters SO we got the council tax freeze this year 2015/16.

Freezing tax has one defi - nite effect, it gives a lever to Tory candidates at the May 2015 election... Hence abuse of taxpayers’ money?

Bromsgrove council ensured they had the cash for this year by increasing it by 1.9 per cent last year when they need not have.

Remember everyone, bonuses from new houses built went into a fund.

There would have been a £60k shortfall this year by not increasing the tax as advised by another 1.9 per cent So, it will now come from that fund called ‘special’ reserves they keep to win the people over.

Further, they will use more of this money now to assist their Tory candidates by agreeing very soon to allow - ing the homes bonus payments to Hagley residents that Pickles gave them last year to distribute and they did not... Possibly agree a few weeks before May 7, by any chance?

These two sweeteners alone will be a vote for a Tory candidate across the constituen - cy, and especially in Hagley and Clent, unless they can see through it.

The person responsible for this abuse of our money is the leader of the council Cllr Sherry who will oddly enough be standing in Hagley this election. Add to that, she’s recently arranged another sweetener, by giving Clent parish £32,000 for an outdoor gym, of which she is also, by the way, a parish councillor. She stands in a newly-formed ward called Belbroughton and Romsley ward and yes, she is of course a candidate in this new ward, by the way. What’s she gonna give Romsley to get our vote – a school crossing, extra park - ing? So what chance an inde - pendent candidate in win - ning the district election with this sort of money to throw around?

Stan Francis

Romsley