Treating the Taxpayers with Contempt

10.07.36pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 6th Feb 2008

"The Conservatives have treated the taxpayers with utter contempt", David Rendel, West Berkshire's Liberal Democrat finance spokesperson, said today. Mr Rendel was commenting on the proposal by the Conservatives to raise Council Tax next year by 3.9%.

"The increase is the largest since the new local government grant formula was introduced in 2006/07. But the Conservatives have proposed it in the same year when their whole campaign to be re-elected was based on their claim to have agreed a record low increase in Council Tax.

"They have played a very bad joke on the voters by bribing them with a low increase one year and then hiking up the tax immediately after the election. Their claim to be able to manage Council spending more efficiently than the Liberal Democrats has been blown right out of the water.

"Most extraordinary of all, they have been given an extra £5.4 Million by the government this year above what they should need. The people of West Berkshire will want to know where all this money is being frittered away".