Tories must take their share of responsibility

1.26.25pm GMT Tue 30th Nov 2004

The Tories have spent millions of pounds on consultants

Liberal Democrat Councillors on Surrey County Council have criticised the Conservative administration for seeking to put all the blame for a potentially high Council Tax for next year on the government, without recognising that it has had opportunities over many years to review how the budget is spent.

Lib Dem Leader, Hazel Watson challenged the administration to explain why they have failed to carry out a detailed review of spending during the previous seven years. She said, "I do not believe that it is accurate to place the whole blame for the Council's financial position at the door of the government."

She added, "The Liberal Democrats have put forward constructive proposals for making savings without cutting services. These include improving the energy efficiency of Council buildings, reducing the millions of pounds spent on consultants and improving the monitoring of the Council's contracts. Unfortunately, the Conservative administration has been slow to act and the result is that Surrey's residents will suffer by either paying higher Council Tax or having to cope with cuts in services".