Lib Dems call for council tax freeze for County Durham

3.31.00pm GMT Thu 25th Feb 2010

At the Budget meeting of Durham County Council, tomorrow (Friday), Councillor Nigel Martin, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, will move that the County Council council tax level be set at the same level as last year.

Councillor Martin said,

"It is time that the Council deliver on the promise of a dividend from Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), and that savings would be passed back to the people of County Durham.

"We believe that the council can continue to deliver on its core services as well as supporting the capital programme recommended by Cabinet without any rise in council tax.

" We will achieve this by better management of the cash needed to support the capital programme.

"In addition, we would find savings and efficiencies in two other areas involving the Countywide magazine and the bureaucratic overheads of the Area Action Partnerships.

"The people of County Durham were overwhelmingly against LGR, and it is now time to deliver on the one clear promise was made by the Labour Government, that this would provide savings and these would result in lower council taxes."

Lib Dem councillor Carol Woods said, "When we were forced to have the new Unitary Council, the people of Durham were promised better services and lower Council tax. Now we find that Labour are cutting services - like care homes for the elderly - while putting our taxes up.

"When people are still struggling through the recession and a period of record job losses, the Council should have shown some common sense and compassion by freezing council tax."

Durham's Labour MP has publicly supported the tax rise, despite previously saying that the new Council would lower council tax.