Shadow Secretary for Local Government, Janet Finch-Saunders AM, will today outline how the Welsh Labour Government have “badly let down hard-working families and council tax payers” in a keynote speech, delivered at the Welsh Conservatives North Wales Policy Forum Conference, held at the Imperial Hotel, Llandudno.
The Aberconwy AM will promise to “wage war” on annual council tax hikes, irresponsible public spending and decisions made behind closed doors.
Addressing the gathered audience, Janet will say:
“In the last five years the average council tax bill has risen by a staggering £800, despite the UK Government providing monies to the Welsh Labour Government to implement a council tax freeze for many of those years. Sadly, this money has not been passed on.
“The Cabinet Secretary for Local Government has warned that local authorities face further cuts to the local government settlement over the next few years, and it is clear that difficult financial decisions lie ahead.
“However, the burden of these decisions should not be automatically passed onto council tax payers: Welsh Conservatives will wage war on the year-on-year council tax hikes faced by our hardworking families. Councils must look at better ways of working, and recognise the importance of openness, transparency and accountability with regards to spending public money.”
The comments will come in the wake of the news that council credit cards were used to spend £92m last year, including at McDonalds, iTunes, and on Xbox-related items.
Additionally, it has been found that over a quarter of Cabinet meetings held by Local Authorities in Wales since the start of the 2016-17 financial year have excluded the public from at least one Agenda Item, with decisions being made ‘behind closed doors.’
Mrs Finch-Saunders will also highlight the impact of the Welsh Labour Government on local authorities in recent years, saying:
“Over the past three years, the Welsh Labour Government have overseen an absolute fiasco with regards to local government reform, followed now by a complete U-turn on the previous Minister’s infamous map.
“We have also witnessed numerous pieces of legislation and directives from the Welsh Government, which directly impact on local authorities statutory duties, yet rarely see a corresponding transfer of funding and resources to enable them to carry these out without impacting on other services.
“Clearly, a two-pronged approach is needed here – a better understanding of the needs and workings of local government by the Welsh Labour Government, and meaningful action towards fully financial probity and transparency in local government spending.
“Conservative-led Monmouthshire County Council are leading the way on this, by publishing online all council spend.
“The only chance to change local government in Wales and give our local residents a council to be proud of is to elect Welsh Conservatives in next year’s local government elections.”
ENDS