Having presented an alternative budget to the ruling Tory Group’s 2015/16 budget proposal, the majority ruling party won the day by outvoting the alternative budgets presented by the Independent Alliance and the Labour Group.
Our group lost the vote not on the merits of the alternative budget but because the Tory Group followed the political whip. We have no whip and worked on our budget free of political posturing.
Despite our budget proposing to give over £1.1m back to the communities from the New Homes Bonus and asking for the £11.5m demolition and rebuild of the Dolphin Centre Business Case to be reviewed it was defeated by the Tories who supported just a one-off £87,000 in NHB whilst keeping £4m of it along with adding a further £1.5m from surpluses into the councils coffers all to pay for town centre development.
The cost of borrowing will be crippling and NHB destined for areas where development has been most prominent has been blocked.
We tried to highlight that the Dolphin Centre, the move to Parkside and investment in the town centre will cost the district’s taxpayers at least £16m. This will be paid for through a loan which will take 50 years to pay back. We won’t see any of the NHB, we will be burdened by tax rises and hands tied to invest in anything elsewhere.
As independents we support the town in its aspirations to bring back much needed investment and business but not at the total expense of the NHB and tax burden.
Steve Colella Hagley
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