11:00am Thursday 11th June 2009
By Geoff Percival
COUNCIL tax in Rochford district should should be frozen next year to help people through the recession, according to an independent councillor.
John Mason, who represents Hawkwell for Rochford District Residents, said Tory leader David Cameron had called on Conservative-controlled councils to cap council tax at is current level, to help hard-up families.
He added there was no reason this could not be done by both Essex County Council and Rochford District Council, which are both Tory-run.
Mr Mason said: “I think the councils will have little choice next year but to freeze council tax, so long as we continue reminding them of David Cameron’s promise.
“This would provide respite for families, young and old, who are under financial pressure.”
He accepted any plans to invest in services would have to be shelved because of a lack of cash.
However, Mr Mason added: “Councils will have to work harder to make savings on services, employee salaries and councillors’ allowances and expenses if they want to spend more on improvements.
“Work will need to be done between now and February on reworking the accounts and making any necessary savings.”
Mr Mason said the danger was the Conservatives would do what they liked, as they believed people would forget the pledge.
“There is a great opportunity out there to prove other cynics and I wrong. We must keep reminding them of what David Cameron has promised.”
Peter Webster, Rochford Tory councillor in charge of finance, said: “I would certainly make no promises about next year’s council tax at this point. We just cannot decide now what we are going to do in ten months time, as we do not know what the circumstances will be then.”
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