Tories’ alternative budget proposes scrapping 20mph limit to fund pothole repairs (From York Press)
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Tories’ alternative budget proposes scrapping 20mph limit to fund pothole repairs
8:57am Tuesday 26th February 2013 in News
By Mark Stead, Political Reporter
SCRAPPING increased parking charges and city-wide 20mph speed limits has been proposed by York’s main opposition party ahead of a crunch council budget meeting.
City of York Council’s Conservative group wants to see an extra £1 million spent annually on “basic road maintenance” over the next four years.
The Tories said some of the cost for 2013/14 and 2014/15 would be met by axing £150,000 a year earmarked for introducing a blanket 20mph limit on residential streets.
At Thursday’s budget debate, the Conservatives will propose reversing increases in parking fees which are set to come into force in April.
They will also call for plans to keep parks unlocked at night, a change in opening times at Towthorpe waste recycling centre and review green bin collections – which could see charges introduced – to be dropped.
They will also vote to accept a Government grant allowing council tax to be frozen in 2013/14, rather than rising by 1.9 per cent.
The group’s budget amendment suggests cutting the council’s cabinet by three members to save £44,000 a year.
The Conservatives also suggest removing a planned £737,000 cash injection for the council’s “delivery and innovation fund”, which allows sums of up to £100,000 to be spent on schemes agreed by council leader James Alexander and a senior official.
The money saved would pay for the reversal of some of the ruling Labour group’s budget proposals.
Meanwhile, the Tories want £1.4 million from the council’s Economic Infrastructure Fund (EIF) intended to help create a digital media centre in York to be spent on preserving Guildhall and ensuring it can be used for other purposes once the council has left the building.
Under their proposals, the EIF would also provide £1.7 million of the extra £2 million for road repairs over the next two years, with facelift plans for the city centre and Newgate Market delayed until 2014/15.
The council has to save £20 million by 2015.
Conservative leader Coun Ian Gillies said: “Money is tight and we have to be pragmatic, but it is all about choices, such as whether residents would prefer seeing potholes repaired to having more 20mph zones.
"The Labour group has flatly refused to accept the Government’s council tax freeze grant due to political dogma, and by proposing to increase parking fees, they have shown their pledges to support city-centre businesses in the face of out-of-town shopping developments were empty promises.”
Comments(34)
York Shire
says...
9:38am Tue 26 Feb 13
I am also not sure whether the Tory plans mean NO rise in Council Tax this year.
A poor effort. Please try harder.
Micklegate
says...
9:41am Tue 26 Feb 13
York Shire wrote:It says in the article 'They will also vote to accept a Government grant allowing council tax to be frozen in 2013/14'. I am struggling to think how that can be clearer.
Not much to help businesses and the local economy here but that is the Tories national approach and so no real surprises. I am also not sure whether the Tory plans mean NO rise in Council Tax this year. A poor effort. Please try harder.
As for not helping the economy I think most businesses will be glad of not increasing parking charges and the freeze in council tax giving more money to people to spend.
amike
says...
9:49am Tue 26 Feb 13
Woody G Mellor
says...
10:01am Tue 26 Feb 13
BioLogic
says...
10:07am Tue 26 Feb 13
There are some very good suggestions in the Conservatives' proposals, which make an good sense, alas I fear none of them will be approved because we seem to have one of the most Political "at all cost" ruling groups in a long time. I fear it can only be a very bad thing for York
working class tory
says...
10:16am Tue 26 Feb 13
The residents of York are finally coming to terms with their incompetence; we can see our city infrastructure crumbling while Alexander tweets about 'Art's barges' using free wifi that we're all paying for.
perplexed
says...
10:26am Tue 26 Feb 13
According to the Daily Telegraph, in the latest survey of nearly 200 councils, one in three authorities will increase council tax from April 2013. The proposed increase ranges from 1.5% to 7.9% AND more than half are Tory-run!
A freeze in council tax in 2013-14 represents a real terms cut of around two per cent and a fall of nine per cent in real terms over the past three years. Doe that mean that all these Conservative and Lib Dem councils are equally reckless? If not accepting Eric Pickle's 1% grant is political dogma, he has clearly failed to convince many members of his own party!
York Shire
says...
11:10am Tue 26 Feb 13
Micklegate wrote:Thanks, Micklegate but voting to accept the grant is not the same as the books being balanced so that there is no rise. Does the Tory budget balance? Open question in my view. Are the figures published anywhere?
York Shire wrote:It says in the article 'They will also vote to accept a Government grant allowing council tax to be frozen in 2013/14'. I am struggling to think how that can be clearer.
Not much to help businesses and the local economy here but that is the Tories national approach and so no real surprises. I am also not sure whether the Tory plans mean NO rise in Council Tax this year. A poor effort. Please try harder.
As for not helping the economy I think most businesses will be glad of not increasing parking charges and the freeze in council tax giving more money to people to spend.
Oaklands Resident
says...
11:13am Tue 26 Feb 13
TheTruthHurts
says...
11:18am Tue 26 Feb 13
anti-rant
says...
11:21am Tue 26 Feb 13
Priapus
says...
11:35am Tue 26 Feb 13
meme
says...
11:37am Tue 26 Feb 13
Lets face it Lid Dums cocked up
Labour are a disaster so lets give them a chance. ''Things can only get better'' to steal Labours election song!
They are local not national politicians and what they say makes some sense
working class tory
says...
11:37am Tue 26 Feb 13
They promised more money for road repairs but our roads are in worse repair than ever.
Broken promises and lies from the Squealer and the rest of the pigs.
I can just about understand people voting Labour at a national level, but at a local level it just doesn't make sense - Labour = council tax rises + dysfunctional management of services that directly affect us.
Micklegate
says...
11:43am Tue 26 Feb 13
York Shire wrote:You are totally misinformed - the ONLY way you can get the govenment grant is by freezing council tax, that is the whole reason the government is proposing it - to help councils who find best value by rewarding them.
Micklegate wrote:Thanks, Micklegate but voting to accept the grant is not the same as the books being balanced so that there is no rise. Does the Tory budget balance? Open question in my view. Are the figures published anywhere?York Shire wrote: Not much to help businesses and the local economy here but that is the Tories national approach and so no real surprises. I am also not sure whether the Tory plans mean NO rise in Council Tax this year. A poor effort. Please try harder.It says in the article 'They will also vote to accept a Government grant allowing council tax to be frozen in 2013/14'. I am struggling to think how that can be clearer. As for not helping the economy I think most businesses will be glad of not increasing parking charges and the freeze in council tax giving more money to people to spend.
I don't have a link to the Conservative amendment, but again it is a REQUIREMENT that it balances and it has to be signed off as valid by the council's finance department.
York Shire
says...
12:13pm Tue 26 Feb 13
York Shire
says...
12:16pm Tue 26 Feb 13
MrsHoney
says...
1:14pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Micklegate
says...
1:25pm Tue 26 Feb 13
York Shire wrote:What do you mean 'let's see it?' - just ring the council ask for whoever you want - Chief Exec, legal officer, Finance Department and ask 'is the Conservative amendment balance and legal and valid'? While you are it ask wheher the one l year which would have frozen coucil tax was and the previous year.
Great. Let's see it. Very happy to be proved wrong.
To quote the X Factor judges (sometimes).........
it will be three time yes..........sadly it's Labour though that are through to the next round here in York.
Garrowby Turnoff
says...
1:35pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Politics, especially at local level, is a fabric of liars versus cheats.
again
says...
3:46pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Garrowby Turnoff wrote:..that's about the size of it.
How can anyone tell if the promised policy will be followed or not? There's no checking back on politicians promises and fining them if they don't deliver their manifesto.
Politics, especially at local level, is a fabric of liars versus cheats.
If you believe in politicians, clap your hands.
York Shire
says...
3:52pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Micklegate wrote:"...is the Conservative amendment balance..." Tut tut. Private education not worth the money. Also, why should I trust the Council? Let's see the figures.
York Shire wrote:What do you mean 'let's see it?' - just ring the council ask for whoever you want - Chief Exec, legal officer, Finance Department and ask 'is the Conservative amendment balance and legal and valid'? While you are it ask wheher the one l year which would have frozen coucil tax was and the previous year.
Great. Let's see it. Very happy to be proved wrong.
To quote the X Factor judges (sometimes).........
it will be three time yes..........sadly it's Labour though that are through to the next round here in York.
Ichabod76
says...
4:50pm Tue 26 Feb 13
York Shire wrote:you certainly can't trust the labour run council
Micklegate wrote:"...is the Conservative amendment balance..." Tut tut. Private education not worth the money. Also, why should I trust the Council? Let's see the figures.
York Shire wrote:What do you mean 'let's see it?' - just ring the council ask for whoever you want - Chief Exec, legal officer, Finance Department and ask 'is the Conservative amendment balance and legal and valid'? While you are it ask wheher the one l year which would have frozen coucil tax was and the previous year.
Great. Let's see it. Very happy to be proved wrong.
To quote the X Factor judges (sometimes).........
it will be three time yes..........sadly it's Labour though that are through to the next round here in York.
bloodaxe
says...
5:56pm Tue 26 Feb 13
working class tory wrote:What do Tory councils offer ? Many of them are complaining about not being able to provide services under the hammer and pickle. The real answer is to have proper local tax raising with councils answerable in toto to the voters every four years. The tax should be income-related and thus progressive. That way councils would become more important, properly accountable, locally focused, attracta better turnout at elections and would attract a better candidature. We might go back to the great days of local government when national leaders made their name locally before going anywhere near Westminster. Taxation based on property is iniquitous and regressive. The more you earn, the more you should pay. That should also apply to corporations and businesses.
'York Deserves Better' wasn't this the title of the York Labour Manifesto? And what have we ended up with?
They promised more money for road repairs but our roads are in worse repair than ever.
Broken promises and lies from the Squealer and the rest of the pigs.
I can just about understand people voting Labour at a national level, but at a local level it just doesn't make sense - Labour = council tax rises + dysfunctional management of services that directly affect us.
yawn..
says...
6:29pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Mulgrave
says...
7:32pm Tue 26 Feb 13
working class tory
says...
7:39pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Tory councils would offer people who actually run businesses, manage finances well, have savings of a few thousand in the bank for a rainy day and have 'sensible' ideas for saving council money.
Labour just want to keep 90% of the populous as thick as pig $#!t and for them to keep voting Labour in so the intelligentsia elite (Squealer's) can keep their multi thousand£ salaries and solid gold pensions; using 'us and them' strategy; something of a reverse false consciousness; all paid for by 10% hard working self employed's and decent business people.
Mulgrave
says...
7:40pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Mulgrave wrote:Or even ' in with these proposals'
If it were election year you would be in these proposals with one slight amendment - drop the party affiliation and go independent.
AnotherPointofView
says...
8:21pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Woody G Mellor wrote:Spot on.
Scrap the useless, unpopular, unwanted, unnecessary, 20mph speed limit and spend the money on repairing the roads,and for the first time in my life I wil be not voting for those clowns in Labour!
NoNewsIsGoodNews
says...
8:53pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Can't imagine what I said that could upset someone enough to do that?
Magicman!
says...
1:29am Wed 27 Feb 13
yawn.. wrote:And here's a little nugget to chew on... at every entrance to the 20mph zone at present there are two sign poles with 20mph signs on, lit by a post-mounted light. When you include costs of the column, the light, fitting the column, and getting NEDL to connect the live supply to it (this is about 85% of the total cost) you're looking at a spend of £5,000 per column - for a sign that is enforcing a speed limit that NOBODY (well, maybe three people) wants. Think of all the people on here that complain about how their street light isn't working or their street is poorly lit, the money being used installing these pointless signs could be used to improving lighting levels through the city. Amey's work upgrading a lot of the lighting stock to white light is great if you use the streets that are now white at night, but the pointless 20mph signs have taken money away that could have been put to far far better use (making other streets white light being one example).
..how about sequencing the lights so that people could get UP to 20mph now and again.! Complete waste of money not to mention added clutter in signage.
Whilst the Tory suggestions are respectable, I find it hard to trust them considering the diabolical rooster-up they are doing in running this country.
ouseswimmer
says...
9:19am Wed 27 Feb 13
Scarlet Pimpernel
says...
4:25pm Thu 28 Feb 13
Why don't they just dig up the f**kin roads so no ***t can use them ?
BL2 says...
9:36am Tue 26 Feb 13