Hard choices, not hard times

I write to you after Peterborough City Council’s Conservative administration presented a lawful and balanced budget to the March 2 council meeting.

This was the first budget I had presented, after the leader, deputy leader and I had made unprecedented efforts to work cross-party with three representatives of all parties, examining all options for reducing the £27.6 million budget gap that many thought was an unreachable target. Let’s be clear – we shared every budget line of the hard choices we faced, and every difficult decision was made after opposition parties were given opportunities to comment on the proposals. Granted, sometimes we couldn’t present papers with much notice, but officers diligently went through the details at each of these meetings so that those present were thoroughly briefed and had the time to question, challenge and debate the proposals as they were presented. Most of the city’s councillors were able to comment on our budget proposals during two scrutiny meetings, and the council also opened the budget to public consultation. Despite all this work, at the budget meeting last Wednesday opposition parties seemed hell-bent on ignoring the wise words of Charles Dickens’ Mr Micawber when he said: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen

pounds and sixpence, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds and sixpence, result misery.”

I was relieved to see, after all the opposition’s sideswipes at our budget proposals, that the budget was passed, and we can now concentrate on bringing the council’s finances onto a stable financial footing. However, since March 2, Peterborough City Council’s opposition parties have launched further attacks against the budget. What is the purpose of this? They are seeking electoral gains, of course. They had made no effort to present an alternative budget on the night. They know and we all know that what they are promising now as alternatives cannot be delivered. They are doing a huge disservice to the people of this city. If they continue this barrage of attacks it could lead to Government intervention, but they appear to be blind to this outcome. Or is it what they want?

We urge voters to disregard

undeliverable promises when deciding where to cast their votes this May. The Conservatives have balanced the budget and have a plan to take this council forward. The opposition do not.

Again, quoting from Charles Dickens, but this time from his novel, Hard Times: “Do the wise thing and the kind thing too, and make the best of us and not the worst.”

Councillor Andy Coles Cabinet member for finance

Peterborough City Council