Council Tax Updates

On Thursday Wokingham residents will finally discover how much extra council tax they will have to pay after being kept on tenterhooks by the ruling Conservative group.

Council leader David Lee explains that redundancies are to be expected as they plough an extra £1m into Children's Services and £2.7m into Community Care after his administration was slammed by recent inspections.

Meanwhile Conservatives have attempted to deflect attention from this series of bad news stories by blaming LibDems on Woodley Town Council.

The tories accuse the LibDems of wastage, while the LibDems have struck back saying they have been defending much needed public services and amenities: LibDem Cllr Coling Lawley said "without the town council stepping in there would be no leisure services in Woodley."

In West Berkshire the feuding between the Conservative-run borough council and LibDem controlled town councils continued as LibDems argue it is possible to avoid neglecting vital services while keeping costs down.

Former Newbury MP, now Cllr David Rendel, said "Despite some tough financial times it is clearly possible to do more with less without punishing the taxpayer. Liberal Democrat-run Newbury Town Council and Thatcham Town Council have both managed to set much lower tax rises."

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Click here for a full comparison of Council Tax rises in the different local authorities across Berkshire.