Lib Dems Slam Labour Stealth Tax

11.15.03am UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 3rd Feb 2007

Labour try to spin their massive rises in parking charges as green even though everyone will pay more

Lambeth Liberal Democrats have slammed Labour's underhand slash and tax budget.

Labour politicians at the Town Hall have just revealed plans for a 4.99% Council Tax increase which is set to be approved at Full Council on February 28th 2007. They say this delivers on what people want. But their own published consultation with residents shows a majority of residents wanting no rise in Council Tax.

Instead they've decided to raise Council Tax by just under the 5% ceiling set by Government on all Councils. And that's before uncapped Ken Livingstone has even announced his own plans to grab your money.

In addition Labour will rake-in millions of pounds in sky-high parking permits for residents, scandalous increased charges for vital services for elderly and vulnerable people, and to users of local leisure centres and sports facilities in parks. Labour also has secret plans to sell-off property it owns that is expected to draw-in tens of millions of pounds.

And Labour has already embarked on their familiar and irresponsible game of wasting taxpayer's money. In Clapham a crumbling empty former Council office building is costing £1000 a week to keep standing when Lib Dems wanted to see it redeveloped to provide new local facilities.

Elsewhere, some £25 million is being wasted moving a vehicle depot to four temporary sites - that's the cost of a brand new secondary school!

These shock announcements come only weeks after announcing a record increase in Labour politician's own salaries of over £400,000.

Lib Dem Leader, Cllr Ashley Lumsden, said, "This is an appalling budget. It is also a lazy, ill-thought-out budget with disastrous consequences for all residents. It hits poorer, hard-working people hardest. Millions of Pounds-worth of funds to the Voluntary Sector are now to be cut across the board making many vital services unviable."

"Unbelievably, total expenditure on key budget areas like Youth, Older People and Crime Reduction are all seeing cuts."

Cllr Lumsden added, "I fear that this is only the start, and that there will be more tax increases, more service cuts and more pain to come. Let's face it, when they're in power, Labour costs you more."