Tory waste is focus of new Liberal Democrat campaign (Westminster and City of London Liberal Democrats)

Westminster and City of London Liberal Democrats <info@westminsterlibdems.org.uk>

Tory waste is focus of new Liberal Democrat campaign

August 12, 2006 11:16 AM

Wasteful spending on Conservative councillors on Westminster City Council is the focus of a new 'Tory Waste Watch' campaign being launched by local Liberal Democrats. The LibDems have built up a list of instances of profligate spending, and are asking residents and Council employees to report further examples.

Commenting, local LibDem Stuart Bonar said:

"When the Council spends money, it spends taxpayers' money. We - as taxpayers - have no choice over whether or not we pay our taxes, so councillors should never spend our money wastefully.

"That might seem like stating the obvious, but Liberal Democrats are unearthing more and more evidence here in Westminster of money being spent unnecessarily and wastefully on councillors - especially Conservative councillors.

"During the lifespan of the last Council between 2002 and 2006, taxpayers' money was spent on: an estimated 40 gallons of wine for Council meetings; travel expenses for Conservative and Labour councillors that - if put together - could pay for a London taxi to drive all the way to Bombay; foreign trips for Conservative councillors to the Far East and North America; and a £90,000 Rolls Royce limousine for the Lord Mayor.

"We also paid to have the Lord Mayor's WE1 number-plate independently valued, and we now know that it has a market value of £75,000. The registration number is owned by the Council and so we have called upon the Lord Mayor to sell it, and use the money more productively. There is no justification for keeping such a pointless yet valuable asset.

"We are holding councillors to account and will continue to investigate their spending. We do this because if only the Conservative-controlled Council had not spent taxpayers' money in the ways listed above - and these are only the ones we have so far identified - then more money would have been available for Council services, or indeed available to help keep our Council Tax down.

"Given that Conservative councillors have increased Westminster's share of the Council Tax by 37% over the last four years then they do need to keep a keener eye on their spending.

"Westminster Liberal Democrats would spend less on councillors than Conservative councillors have spent on themselves.

"To help us to pinpoint examples of wasteful spending, particularly spending on the councillors themselves, we are asking residents and Council employees to let us know about anything that deserves further investigation."

Information can be submitted to the Liberal Democrats via their website at http://www.westminsterlibdems.org.uk/views