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Why should we pay more and get less?
I am deeply concerned and troubled about the proposed Peterborough City Council budget.
Both the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have promised this country a freeze in council tax.
This city council now spends £5,000 per week (12-month contract) on a top consultant, Malcolm Newsam, to sort out its failing children’s services department which has had “years of endemic” (Mr Newsam) problems due to, I would argue, a negligent, nepotistic, Tory-run council.
Then the lollipop ladies face being sacked to save £43,000, although I would argue this is a media stunt to cover up the fact that council tax will rise even in light of our Tory MP Stewart Jackson promising “no rise in council tax for the next two years”.
The Tory MP promised this to our city and now he has broken this promise.
We now have a Conservative-run council proposing a near three per cent increase. And at the same time they are choosing to endanger the lives of children by cutting back on lollipop patrols. It is now time to redress this balance of unfairness and injustice for the hard working people of our city.
How many new facilities have you seen in this city? None. They want to keep aside some money in the budget for restoring the Lido – why?
We need modern, clean and all-year-round useable facilities for the people of Peterborough to enjoy and keep healthy with.
But with a Tory-run council the people of this city have always been paying to get less.
Now they are asking for you to pay more – even for a consultant who recieves £5,000 per week for making clearly obvious solutions – for example: “We need more social workers,” and “lack of leadership.”
In the words of singer Willy Mason, ‘It is easy to see that something here isn’t right.’
How can we trust a word uttered by the Conservatives on the subject of tax again? How can we trust them to deliver for this city when they have bought a football ground for £8 million pounds.
I hope council leader Cllr Marco Cereste is planning to build a new pool, ice rink, rolla skate park, arts centre and regenerate the old buildings and utilise the riverside for punting and boating activities.
If he doesn’t serve the people of the city in this way, I will be even more disgusted. We paid the £8 million pounds to buy the football ground.
This government tells us that austerity will deliver economic growth, but where are the jobs? Where is the youth training? The amount of people unemployed is the worst since the 70s, Ireland is looking worrying, as is the Falklands – do we want all this trouble and pain back? We need people to realise that this Government, from local to national level, is not a Government that serves the interests of the people best.
Where is Peterborough’s Conservative MP in all this? Can Mr Jackson really claim he has won the best deal for this city when it is being hammered by tax hikes and cuts? How can the Conservative Party stand before this city and expect to be trusted again?
This is your city, this is your council and the rises will come out of your hard earnt money.
Is this good enough for you and your family?
Nicola Day-Dempsey
Garton End Road
Park Ward Candidate – Labour
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
