CAMERON URGED TO TACKLE MAYOR OVER RISING COUNCIL DEBT

2.08.53pm GMT Thu 25th Mar 2010

Liberal Democrat Council Group Finance Spokesman Cllr Roger Stringer has written to Conservative Party Leader David Cameron urging him to take Torbay Council's Conservative administration to task over rising debt levels.

The Council's rising debt levels contrast with the Conservative Leader's call nationally for the UK's debt to be cut drastically.

Councillor Stringer's letter says:

"The Conservative Party under your leadership have clearly stated that the Country's debt needs to be tackled urgently, and that this will be a priority for you should your party form the next Government.

In particular I notice on the Conservative party website that you highlight the need to "get a grip of our debt crisis" and that "the more we spend and the longer we wait to pay off our bills, the worse it can get."

It appears that your Conservative colleagues who control Torbay Council have misunderstood your policy on reducing debt and appear to take the opposite view. They are borrowing like there is no tomorrow and are committing generations of council taxpayers to paying back debt.

For example, the local Conservatives have recently undertaken £36 million of extra debt for a new Town Hall for the Conservative Elected Mayor. Total borrowing now stands at over £100 million with more debt seemingly added every day. As you can imagine their actions are very controversial locally.

In light of your public statements on this matter, I call on you to take your errant Councillors and elected Mayor to task for creating their own local debt crisis, otherwise your assurances on a national level that debt will be tackled will not be believed as your local Conservatives are doing the exact opposite."

Commenting on his letter Councillor Stringer said, "Voters at the General Election will be judging the Conservatives on their actions at a local level. How can local residents believe David Cameron when he says that he will cut the Country's debt, when Nick Bye and his Conservative administration are on a spending spree with borrowed money, which local council taxpayers will be paying back for generations to come? I look forward to David Cameron's reply and hearing what actions he is going to take to bring the mayor and Conservative Councillors back into line."