Con / Lab pact in Chelmsford to make the poorest pay more

Council tax will rise in Chelmsford for yet another year following the city council's budget meeting - and it will rise the most (as a percentage) for the poorest people. The rise was voted for by all the Conservatives AND the sole Labour councillor, and opposed by the Liberal Democrats.

The rise hits the poorest the hardest because the scheme to help low-income taxpayers has been cut.

The Liberal Democrats made three key points:

• A windfall income should be spent on services and stopping cuts, not stashed away in the bank.
• They don't need to put up the council tax: they already have more money than they need.
• The Conservatives should get on with building the homes that young people in particular need.

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1. Cllr Andrew Sosin referred to a windfall income to the Council of £400,000 (the New Homes Bonus). The Lib Dems proposed spending it on supporting the voluntary sector and NOT cutting back on verge and flowerbed maintenance. Instead the Conservatives added it to the Council's already healthy pile of cash in the bank.

2. Cllr Stephen Robinson attacked the Conservatives for not being ambitious, not tackling the congestion from their plans to put houses in the wrong place, and for raising council tax when they have around £6 million stashed away in the bank.

3. Cllr Graham Pooley criticised the Cabinet Member for Housing as he has still not completed the long-awaited survey of what are Chelmsford's housing needs and gave examples of how people who are really struggling to make ends meet will be hit by the Conservative plans to take more money off them.