Medway Conservatives voted against Medway Council’s Budget, passed this evening (27th February 2025).
The Budget, which contains £18m worth of exceptional financial support, is built on hiking fees and charges, unaffordable pay rises for staff, and increasing Council Tax to its highest ever level.
Speaking this evening, the Medway Conservatives Leader and Medway Council Opposition Leader Cllr Perfect, slammed the Labour Government for its recent decisions on devolution, decisions taken in the national budget including rises to National Insurance Contributions, the family farm tax and the removal of winter fuel payments to elderly residents. Cllr Perfect described the financial disaster created by the Labour administration, with £18m borrowed through the Government’s exceptional financial support programme for local authorities, on top of the £20m worth of borrowing to fund the current financial year. It is also stated through the Council’s Medium Term Financial Statements, that there will be a £50m Budget gap by the end of the decade.
Cllr Perfect set out pitfall after pitfall in the budget presented by Cllr Maple. Huge increasing in fees and charges across Council Services, cuts in services to be delivered and borrowing to balance the budget which is unsustainable.
Following Cllr Perfect’s response, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Cllr Hackwell, supported by Shadow Cabinet Member for Place, Cllr Lawrence, moved an amendment that has the potential to lower the borrowing by £6.5M to £12M thus saving the taxpayer interest payments and provide additional support to under 11s swimming, fund more holiday clubs and support small businesses dependent on footfall in our periphery shopping centres.
Cllr Perfect, Leader of the Opposition, speaking earlier during the meeting said:
This Budget is a disaster for Medway. Fees and charges are up. Spending is up. Salary rises above inflation. £18m worth of borrowing on the credit card, paid for by future generations. Cllr Maple is betting the future of the Council on a spending review to be carried out by this failing Labour Government. This budget is undeliverable, cruel and will fail to deliver for Medway residents.
Cllr Hackwell, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance and Workforce, speaking earlier during the meeting outlined the detail of the amendment:
This evening we laid an amendment that would have seen us reducing salary increases for staff in line with inflation whilst still allowing for hard to recruit positions, as well as seeing a one-year freeze on senior staff pay rises, a reduction of Staff in certain area, delaying the investment in Children's Services to attain an Ofsted Outstanding rating and mainly staffing the Local Government reorganisation from secondments. These suggestions were rejected by this out of touch Labour administration.
By removing these spends, the Medway Conservatives would have reintroduced free swimming for under 11’s, enhancing Holiday clubs, and free car parking in some of our car parks. When Medway resident’s think of this Budget, they should remember that these were political decisions not to deliver these to residents.
