… and again

Wokingham Liberal Democrats are in complete agreement that something needs to be done to tackle the wet waste issue to ensure we can improve recycling in the Borough.

The reason why the decision to use the polypropylene sacks as the solution was called-in (a process to decide whether a decision should be looked at again), was because the Liberal Democrats believe that the Conservative-led council broke the constitution to make that decision, and thus acted in a financially irresponsible way.

The Conservative Executive approved funding for a solution to the problem without a business case. Hardly fiscally responsible.

How can you decide on the best way to spend public money without having the information in front of you to make an informed choice?

John Halsall, Conservative leader of the council, is now claiming that the Liberal Democrats have held up the process of the purchase of these sacks, costing the council money due to the call-in.

The question is, were the Conservatives going to break the constitution and act in a financially irresponsible way by spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money without anywhere near enough information to make that decision, or we’re they going to purchase after the business case was approved, at a meeting four weeks after the call-in meeting?

They claim that they weren’t going to purchase until after the business case, so the call-in has not held up the ability to purchase these sacks.

Whatever the truth, it is the Conservatives who have held up this process.

They should have acted responsibly and produced all the necessary information to make an informed choice back in July when the money was up for approval.

They didn’t.

Is this really the people you want gambling with your hard-earned money?

Cllr Sarah Kerr, Lib Dem councillor for Evendons, Wokingham Borough Council