Sunday 17 February 2013

My week ahead 17 - 23 February 2013

Monday 18 February, 6pm – Labour Group meeting

Wednesday 20 February, 9am – Labour campaign day in East Ipswich

Thursday 21 February, 11am – Meeting about area committee at Grafton House
1pm – Youth football activity at Dumbarton Road

Saturday 23 February, 10.30am – Labour campaigning in South West Ipswich


This week we saw the Tory run Suffolk County Council inform us that they are not going to raise council tax this year but are also going to freeze the tax for the next 4 years – blatant electioneering!

Ipswich Spy has stated that I have taken the comments of Tory Cabinet member Cllr Storey out of context –
"most people don't use council services" so why should they pay council tax?

Ipswich Spy and a number of Tory bloggers have been critical – this is what Cllr Storey said “The majority of the Suffolk tax-paying population do not use our services – apart from roads and perhaps schools”

So only roads and schools? So 80% of Suffolk have their own home fire service? Of course we hope that very few of us need the Suffolk Fire service, but we sleep safe at night knowing the service is there. But will it be as an efficient service next year? – Let alone in 4 years’ time. To keep to a 0% tax rise for four years will mean more cuts (unless this Tory/Lib Dem Government are going to suddenly support local Government?? )

The budget this year will see a reduction in uniformed firemen, so how many more will we lose over the next 4 years – so Ipswich Spy and Cllr Storey – are roads and education the only council services that most tax payers use?

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