Tory finances - the unpleasant truth

Cllr David Kendall has slammed Tory Leader Cllr Louise McKinlay for failing to tell the full story on the council's finances and instead releasing a statement that hides their inadequate financial management record:

• The Tories have failed to get it's accounts signed off on time and Brentwood will now incur a significant extra audit fee. This is money that could and should have been spent on providing much needed services for Brentwood residents.
• New Panels and Committees have been created with additional Chair and Vice Chair expenses totalling £12,448 of tax payers money plus the additional costs of running a committee such as staff overtime that have not been released.
• £250,000 has been spent on interim staff working in the finance department. A department that failed to provide the Auditor with statements in a correct format, statements which were not compliant with International Financial reporting standards and which included inconsistencies , casting errors and had several disclosure notices missing or incomplete.
• For only the second time in the Council's history it was unable to get the accounts signed off on time. On both occasions this has happened while the Conservatives have been running the Borough Council and never under the Lib Dems.
• The council tax freeze is common to almost every council in the country.
• The pledge to keep front line services is laced with irony, given that they have already axed frontline services such as the pest control service and the town's Information Centre.
• The fact that they are "expecting to get the accounts signed off" is hardly positive as most other Councils did that well before Christmas.

The days of anyone seriously believing that the Council's finances are safe in the hands of the Conservatives are well and truly over.