Council tax freeze

There will be no increase in Sefton's council tax this year. This positive news for residents was part of the Budget financial package agreed at a full council meeting last night (3 March 2011) The Liberal Democrat finance team of councillors, which includes a qualified accountant, company directors and owner managers of private businesses, has helped drive detailed research into the council's finances and developed the final budget for the financial year 2011/12.

The budget was voted through by Liberal Democrats and Conservatives but opposed by Labour councillors and a former Formby Conservative and Parliamentary Candidate who has recently switched to become the sole UKIP councillor on Sefton.

The Labour party did not produce a budget plan of their own. They had no idea what they would have done.. No alternative financial proposals, no money-saving suggestions, nothing apart from empty words and ranting designed to whip up the cheers, shouts and applause of their supporters in the public gallery.  

It is a legal requirement for councils to produce a financial budget every year and failure to do so - as Militant Labour under Derek Hatton did in Liverpool - has serious consequences.

For well over 20 years Sefton has worked as a "shared power" council. Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative councillors sit on the 10-strong key decision-taking Cabinet with positions allocated strictly in proportion to the size of their party groups. No single party has a clear majority.

But Sefton Labour have opted out of their responsibilities concerning the Budget and done nothing except whinge. This is in contrast to Liverpool, St Helens, Knowsley and other North West councils, where Labour has control, where they have had to face reality, act responsibly, and produce their own legal budgets.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SEFTON'S BUDGET GO TO: http://birkdalefocus.blogspot.com
http://tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk