Bedford Borough Councillor Roger Rigby has slammed Mayor Dave Hodgson’s Liberal Democrat and Labour administration for failing to reduce Council Tax in Bedford Borough.
At last week’s budget debate, Cllr Rigby highlighted failures of the Council to implement savings proposals sooner and the subsequent waste of Council taxpayers’ money.
Cllr Rigby, who is a representative of Bromham & Biddenham Ward said;
‘The Liberal Democrat and Labour administration at the Council will tell residents that services like libraries and swimming pools are still open and we all support this. What they will not tell residents is that they have squandered a golden opportunity to deliver more efficient and protected front line services whilst giving residents a Council Tax cut.
‘The Conservative Group supported this budget because it contains many projects we have worked to put on this Council’s agenda such as improving the bus station, investments in footpaths and a cut in car parking charges. The budget also benefitted from Government support to retain weekly bin collections and deliver another freeze on Council Tax.
‘However, the Liberal Democrats' anti-Conservative hysteria is holding this Council back from sharing services with neighbouring Conservative councils to achieve serious back office savings. They have also wasted millions of pounds taxpayers’ money having failed to bring savings proposals forward. For instance, the delay in outsourcing the leisure management contract cost taxpayers £628k. Had they not indulged in such waste they could have passed the benefit on to residents.’