Kirklees Council tax rise could be “huge”, councillor warns

Feb 4 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

PREPARE for a huge council tax rise.

That’s the warning from opposition Conservatives on Kirklees Council. The new Labour-Lib Dem coalition is drawing up plans for the budget and council tax rate for 2009/10.

But the Tories – who ran Kirklees until last month – warned council taxpayers to expect a big hit.

Conservative leader Clr Robert Light said yesterday: “In just two weeks the Lib/Lab pact have proved they are incapable of running the council’s finances, incapable of making efficiency savings and are determined to introduce a huge rise in council tax just at the time people are facing the worst economic crisis in living memory.

“The Lib/Lab pact are proving they are part of the problem not the solution.”

Clr Andrew Palfreeman, who had responsibility for the budget until the Conservatives were ousted, said his party had inherited a mess when they took over from the Lib Dems in 2006.

He said: “The budget was teetering on the verge of disaster because they were unable to control council finance.”

Clr Palfreeman said his party had planned a council tax increase of 3% for 2009/10.