Parties clash over low taxes and council debt

Political parties in Windsor and Maidenhead clashed this week over whether historic low council tax has added to the council’s perilous financial position.

An extraordinary council meeting took place at Maidenhead Town Hall on Tuesday to discuss the local authority’s eye-watering debts, which currently stand at £203million.

The Royal Borough has warned it may be forced to issue a section 114 notice, which means it cannot meet its financial obligations, if urgent cost-cutting measures are not introduced.

Lib Dem councillor Adam Bermange (Boyn Hill) described the 2023/24 financial budget, set by the previous Conservative administration, as like walking a tightrope and questioned historically low council tax in the Royal Borough.

He told the meeting: “The Conservatives would say they made the right decision to lower council tax, but we would say a more balanced approach was needed.

“Talking to people on the doorsteps, the issue isn’t always ‘isn’t this low council tax a brilliant thing?’

“What they talk about most when it comes to council services is value for money.”

Keeping council tax lower than neighbouring Berkshire authorities has been a historic manifesto pledge from the Conservatives.

Ahead of the 2019 local elections promotional banners were erected across the borough stating that residents paid the lowest council tax outside of London.

Conservative councillor John Story hit back at claims that the Tories’ historic decisions were to blame for the council’s bleak financial outlook.

He said: “We’ve been hearing a lot about how historic decisions are making life more difficult for the administration, including the cuts to council tax which took place 10 to 12 years ago.

“We must remind ourselves of the very real cash benefits residents have had every year since.

“This amount of extra money for households this year will be very welcome at a time when budgets are tighter than ever.”

Former Conservative leader of the council, Andrew Johnson, spoke to the Advertiser following the meeting and accused the ruling Lib Dems of playing a ‘cheap political blame game’ over the council’s finances.

“Our record shows that we balanced the budget every year I was leader and finished each year with a surplus,” the ousted council leader said.

Lib Dem councillor for Clewer East, Amy Tisi, said the party had no plans to raise council tax next year beyond the maximum permitted 4.99 per cent.

Councillors took a vote on whether to approve plans for cost-cutting measures to ease the council’s financial difficulties.

The vote was passed but saw opposition from the Conservative councillors with leader Maureen Hunt (Hurley and the Walthams) branding it as a ‘mask for spending cuts, the sale of assets and the reduction of services.’