Tory Council's Finance Fiasco! (Surrey Heath Liberal Democrats

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Tory Council's Finance Fiasco!

December 30, 2005 10:43 AM

How your Tory Council treats public money!

Liberal Democrat Councillors have slammed Conservative controlled Surrey Heath Borough Council for financial incompetence. They are seeking urgent answers to why the Council is almost £1million over budget.

At a recent Council meeting, it was revealed that the Council was in the red for the 2005-06 financial year by nearly £1 million, leaving its reserves dangerously depleted. The council's 'current account' was in credit by more than £1.8 million in April 2004, but by April 2006 it is estimated that it will be reduced to £332,000.

Commenting on the crisis, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Council Group, Councillor David Whitcroft said "This is a shocking state of affairs. There would appear to be no financial control being exercised by the Conservative administration. Increased spending on staff costs relating to changes in staffing are to blame. For staffing costs to be as far out of control as they are is outrageous and the implications of the problem are massive. In my view we should be considering some very serious steps indeed to establish what has gone wrong with the control procedures in this council."

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Council Group, Councillor Duncan Clark continued "I would like to know why we have reached this point now without being made aware of this situation. Who was aware that the wheels had come off this Conservative budget? This finance fiasco is due to poor Conservative management - as simple as that!"