Paul Sample

2nd June 2006

Cllr Paul Sample has blown apart new figures which the Conservatives are claiming prove they have made significant financial savings at Salisbury District Council.

Cllr Sample says: "The new Leader of the Council, Cllr Britton, has been on the Council less than 4 years and is now claiming credit for saving £1 million. I don’t think people are taken in by this sort of nonsense and I suspect even members of his own Group realize he is talking rubbish.

Questions which need to be asked:

1. How much are these savings in real terms?

2. How much did it cost to achieve the savings?

3. How much will be offset against the deficit over the coming three fiscal years?

"I think these are questions which residents need answering. I fail to see how you can save on staff sickness costs while, at the same time, allowing the number of Council staff to rise steadily year on year. There are now over 760 members of staff for a Council serving just 110,000 people in South Wiltshire?

"This is an administration which is about to spend at least £12 million, and probably more, on a Council Office development which no-one seems to want. Cllr Brown-Hovelt talks a lot of rubbish, but at least he had the good sense to suggest a more economical use of public buildings rather than splashing out more on new build Council Office developments.

"Cllr Britton has a real cheek to tell us that he is saving £1 million. I don’t believe a word of it. I’ll believe it when I see it in my Council Tax demand – which has risen year after year despite Conservative promises that they would cut tax. We are all now paying much more Council Tax under Conservative Councils at County Hall and Bourne Hill – not less. But services are being cut back year on year. This year’s battle to save Tisbury and Durrington Sports Centres is evidence of that.

"I believe that the Conservatives are truly on the run now and I sincerely believe that they and their Condependent supporters are going to get a shock next May. Their claims will get more and more outrageous and unbelieveable as polling day approaches."