
With the
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council elections on May 3, it is important for everyone to vote for their local Councillor. Hopefully, your
candidates will be knocking on your door and delivering leaflets about themselves and their policies (I know I;ve been doing a lot recently!). But just in case your Labour leaflet doesn't arrive as promptly as it should, I thought I'd list the reasons why I believe that voting Labour and against the Tory Borough Council is a good idea.
Firstly, the Tories are tough on pensioners. In April this year, our Tory run Council will increase its charges to local residents. Pensioners will have to pay:
· over 22% more to use lunch clubs;
· 10% more for meals on wheels;
· 50% more for the Shopper Hopper bus;
· And, if a loved one dies, cemetery fees are going up by around 80%.
Secondly, the Tories are still desperate for a council housing sell off. Despite being forced by tenants’ protests to cancel their last attempt to sell tenants’ homes from under them, the Tories are still privatisation-mad!
· They plan to spend over £150,000 this year alone employing consultants to look at ways to sell off council homes;
· Despite 95% satisfaction with the council’s housing repairs service, the Tories are desperate to sell off the maintenance workers’ jobs; and
· The Tories are taking £500,000 of rent income and using it to subsidise their other money-wasting—refusing to use it to build new homes.
Thirdly, the Tories waste your money:
· The Council’s favourite contractor, SERCO, pays a peppercorn rent for the Borough Council’s own depot at Tewin Road in Welwyn Garden City, yet the Council pays £200,000 to rent some of it back!
· The Council is planning to spend over £300,000 on private consultants next year—are they unable to recruit qualified staff?
· Council tax is due to rise by 4.5% this year—even though the Council received £7.7 million from the Government—16% higher than last year.
· Following a Labour campaign, the Council had to do a u-turn and drop its plans to introduce and charge you for an expensive parking scheme.
· The Tory Council pays Finesse leisure £500,000 a year to do up the King George V pavilion in Welwyn Garden City—yet the pavilion is rarely open!