Tories stash away YOUR money for pre-election bribe

4.32.39pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 18th Jun 2008

Local Conservatives are underspending on council services and storing up millions of pounds in reserve funds, according to their OWN report. The report, on Essex County Council finances for 2007/08, was approved at a meeting of the council's cabinet at county hall.

Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats leader, commented: "As there are county council elections next year, can it be that the Conservatives are banking up an 'election fund'? They can then use it to announce a low council tax rise and to spend on some gimmicks to please voters in the election run-up.

"It is galling enough for council tax payers in Essex that our council tax has risen by 120% over the past 10 years. We then find out that hard earned cash is not being spent on the things we want, such as filling in potholes and providing facilities for young people. It is an outrage to bolster up excessive reserve for electoral purposes.

"Underspending on the council's budget and services, and building up reserve funds, is something that I have been questioning for some time. I'm really not sure how taking council tax from hard-working people and squirreling it away in reserve funds is of benefit to the taxpayer."

This latest revelation follows another council stunt, to offer a job to the runner-up of television's 'The Apprentice'. That spectacularly backfired when the council admitted they had no intention of offering a job at all: www.cmld.org.uk/news/000233.html