A parish council is facing a financial crisis after over-spending and plundering its cash reserves, claims a Tory councillor.
Kirkburton Parish Council, which covers the villages of Kirkburton, Shepley, Lepton and Kirkheaton, was set to go £11,000 into the red this year.
The planned deficit was to have been met from cash reserves – leaving the council with less than £16,000 for emergencies.
Newly-elected Conservative councillor and retired banker John Taylor, appointed the council’s financial troubleshooter, says he is now seeking urgent savings to pull the council back from the brink.
Clr Taylor said the Green Party had controlled the council for the last eight years before the Tories became the biggest party in May.
“In that time the Green Party have run the council into the ground, running a deficit and taking money out of the reserves,” he said. “The council finances are in a mess and, once again, we have the Conservatives coming in to sort it out.”
Clr Taylor said according to the National Association of Local Councils, parish councils should have reserves of between 25% and 75% of its precept, or money raised from taxpayers.
But Kirkburton’s was set to fall to just 15%, with just £15,917.91 left in reserve.
The parish council is in advanced talks with Kirklees Council about taking over Kirkburton Library and Clr Taylor said it was vitally important that its finances were in order.
“As it stands the parish council doesn’t have much in the way of assets but if we take on the library it is important that we have money in reserve for unforeseen problems like roof repairs or whatever.
“In our parish area we also have libraries in Shepley and Kirkheaton and we don’t want to cut them adrift because we don’t have the money to help.”
An application for an asset transfer of the Kirkburton Library could go to Kirklees Council’s Cabinet next month.
The parish council raised £109,620 this year from local people, who pay around £10-£15 a year on top of their council tax.
The council’s total annual income is £135,346.25 and the budget for 2015-16 shows the council costs £48,320 a year to run. That includes £40,000 in “employment costs”, understood to be for two part-time staff, a clerk and an assistant clerk.
Clr Taylor, lead member on the council’s management and finance committee, admitted the employment costs seemed high but he had yet to investigate further.
“The Green Party have left the council in a mess and nothing proves that more than the fact they cut the council’s environment budget from £20,000 to £5,000 for this year and surely that’s the last thing the Green Party want to do.”
Clr Taylor has already made some cuts by cancelling stalls at country fairs.
Clr Andrew Cooper, Kirklees Council’s Green Party leader and former Kirkburton parish councillor, rubbished Clr Taylor’s claims and said it was “politicking of the worst kind.”
He added: “All he is trying to do is win another seat for the Conservatives. It sounds like he is looking for an excuse to get out of a strong commitment to support Kirkburton Library.”
Clr Cooper said the parish council’s accounts were audited every year and Clr Taylor was trying to mislead.
He said the reduction in the environment budget was a “re-allocation” not a sign of financial problems.
“Any fool can cut a budget,” he added. “It takes imagination to find ways of using a budget wisely.”
