- Cymraeg
- English
Letter to North Wales Newspapers - Council Tax Police Precept Rise
March 22, 2007 3:50 PM
Dear Sir
Labour have been shouting about the Welsh Liberal Democrat's alleged vote for a rise in Council Tax, but it seems obvious to me that this attack is an attempt to cover up the fact that it is their mishandling of the Welsh police funding in both Cardiff Bay and Westminster that has backed North Wales against a wall.
The North Wales Police Authority has been forced into a financial black hole while trying to sustain a service fit for residents in North Wales. They struggle, as do all Welsh Police Authorities, to cope with a meagre settlement from Westminster that Labour in the Assembly is too timid to challenge. The funding given to North Wales Police Authority from Cardiff Bay is still below the level needed to keep up with basic inflation rates. And all this after Westminster's disastrous merger plans left Welsh Police Authorities having to fight to get their money back.
Next year, it is likely we will see other Police Authorities resorting to Council Tax precepts above 5% just like North Wales. Labour will have to accept this, as it is the result of their own failure to provide adequate funding for the services they want Welsh Police Authorities to provide.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have long held the position that it is neither fair nor right for the Assembly to dictate how many police officers there should be in North Wales. Our first priority is safety. North Wales Police know better than AMs in Cardiff Bay how much that costs.
Don't be taken in by Labour's pre-election smokescreen tactics - council taxpayers are footing the bill for Labour's mistakes.
Eleanor Burnham
Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats