Surrey County Conservatives

Conservatives endorse £50m in savings 18th October 2005

Surrey Conservatives have overwhelmingly endorsed the Executive’s decision to appoint external consultants, Robson Rhodes, to help the Council find £50m in savings next year as part of the Business Delivery Review Programme. The endorsement came following a meeting of the County Council today and received support from all Groups except the Liberal Democrats.

The savings are needed to meet an expected shortfall in Surrey’s grant from central government next year as a result of the government’s policy of resource equalisation – transferring money from the South East to Labour heartlands in the north and midlands.

The Lib Dems though opposing the decision failed to offer any other credible alternative to solve the Council’s funding crisis.

Nick Skellett, Conservative Group Leader said:

“While we have been making efficiency savings of £12 –14m a year for many years, this is unlikely to be anywhere near sufficient to meet the triple challenge of pressures on our services, the prospect of the government diverting grant away from Surrey again, and the need to keep rises in Council Tax to a minimum. Closing this gap may mean saving up to £50m of our controllable cost base.”

Nick Skellett added:

“ This is a serious situation which the council faces and we need input from all Members if we are to find a solution to the vindictiveness of this Labour government. What we don’t need is cheap political point scoring from a Liberal Democrat Group who haven’t even managed to produce an alternative budget for the last three years.