CLAIM:
In a recent leaflet Stockport Lib Dems claimed their approach to the budget was to discuss plans ‘in the Council and with the public much earlier’….and…‘by contrast the Labour Cabinet do not share major budget plans early enough for real involvement’.
REALITY:
When it comes to budgeting, the Stockport Lib Dems are better at being economical with the truth.
The Labour Cabinet have for two consecutive budgets made their intended Council Tax approach (2016/17 and 17/18), at October Cabinet known four months ahead of budget Council. This came alongside high levels of detail on our budgetary approach- so as to encourage and enable other groups to feedback.
In their last two budgets, the Liberal Democrats, by contrast made their final approach to the Council Tax and the budget known in either January or February, just weeks before budget Council.
Even if we look at council tax rise alone over the last four Council budgets, Labour declared our intended rise on average 82 days ahead of the Lib Dems – two and a half months earlier.
That is just council tax. Labour have also prepared much more detailed business cases for all our plans, in order to allow for better quality engagement with both the public and other parties sooner to help set the fairest budgets possible for the whole of Stockport.
These are our principles and we walk our talk. The Liberal Democrats, however, are only interested in skewed leaflet fodder.
The people of Stockport don’t deserve this type of negative campaigning and deserve FACTS not FICTION.
FURTHER CLAIMS IN SAME LEAFLET: – ‘Government funding cuts’ are blamed for falling council spending and tax rises.
Remind us: who was it went into coalition with Osborne and Cameron and brought in these failed austerity policies? Liberal Democrat leader Mark Hunter, as Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle, who was part of the Conservative- Liberal coalition government from 2005-2015. His full voting record is here- and an excerpt of which is below:
Looks like we may have a heavy workload ahead of us…