Tories have not learned the lesson

Dear Sir,

The report to Tuesday's Cheshire East Council Cabinet meeting, showing a £9.3m overspend on the services budget, shows that the Liberal Democrats' prediction at last February's council meeting - that the budget proposals were not robust - was correct.

While £9m has been taken from various reserves to cover most of the defi cit, there will be a long-term cost to council tax payers.

However, the Conservatives do not appear to have learned their lesson; along with the proposed 5.9% council tax increase, among the proposed cuts are reductions to some budgets prior to reviews taking place, and there can be no guarantee that with 3% infl ation the reviews will show a saving.

The years of not increasing council tax while costs were rising has now forced the Conservatives to increase council tax by the maximum allowed, 5.99%.

Had modest increases in council tax been approved earlier the council might not be having to make cuts in services such as highways.

Yours faithfully,

(COUN) ROD FLETCHER

Alsager