WOKING COUNCIL TAX INCREASE IS LOWER THAN THE TORY INCREASE LAST YEAR

Woking's Liberal Democrat Executive is proposing a Council Tax increase of 4.4% (£8.10 a year, or 16p a week) - less than its predecessor Tory administration last year. And it is doing so without any cuts in services to local residents.

LibDem Leader Cllr Sue Smith said: "Faced with a forecast deficit of £1,400,000 under this year's Budget we inherited from the Conservatives, Executive Members and Council Officers have worked extremely hard to bring the Budget into balance. That we have done so without any cuts in services, and without raiding reserves as the Conservatives have done, is a tribute to that hard work.

"Last year, the Tory increase was double the 2.4% rate of inflation as shown by the Retail Prices Index (RPI). This year the RPI is 4.4%, so Woking's Council Tax is not increasing in real terms.

"We have also set in hand a three-year programme to force down costs - if the Tories had done this while they were in office, we would not have inherited such a large deficit.

"Perhaps Woking Tories will now apologise for the scare stories in their recent literature saying there would be service cuts or a massive increase in Council Tax. When confronted with these stories in the Council Chamber, they did not deny that they were 'alarmist lies'."