Chafford Library Update

Dear Residents:

As you will note from the report from the Gazette below, the alternatives we put to full Council yesterday includes the proposal to Save Chafford Library.

NB - I have also asked for a 5% reduction in my allowances and the withdrawal of the broadband allowance I receive.

From the Gazette:


REDUCING councillor allowances by five per cent and turning off traffic lights overnight are two alternative budget proposals from Thurrock’s Conservative Group.

Thurrock Council’s supplementary budget to save £4 million this year was approved at a full council meeting on Wednesday night, subject to the Labour group’s agreement that Tory alternatives totalling £220,000 would be considered.

The alternative list of proposals was circulated at the meeting.

Tory leader Garry Hague called for the proposed cuts to environmental, safety and community facilities to be abandoned and an alternative range of savings totalling the same considered.

Cllr Hague said: “We recognise the necessity for the council to make additional budget savings, to a large extent as a result of the previous government’s mis-management of the economy.

“We also recognise that this needs to be done at a pace to ensure that early action is taken to implement these savings to the council’s budget this year.

“However, we are very concerned that a number of the savings proposals being progressed by Labour have not been properly thought through and will result in cuts to key services and community facilities that many of our residents value highly...to say their approach to setting the budget has been haphazard, is being generous.”

The top four cuts the Tory group want abandoned are- the reduction in street lighting saving £100,000, reduction in street cleaning and cleanliness saving £75,000, locking parks and cemeteries saving £10,000 and closing Chafford Hundred Library saving another £10,000.

These have been replaced by reducing councillor allowances by five per cent saving £15,000, reducing street lighting by 50 per cent and switching off traffic lights overnight saving £55,000, stopping payment for councillor’s broadband saving £5,000 and stopping paying councillors for car mileage within Thurrock saving £1,000.

Leader of the council John Kent added: “Cllr Hague we will give serious consideration to these proposals.”

Tory councillors Rob Gledhill, Lynn Carr, Amanda Wilton, Barry Johnson and Amanda Arnold have all put their support being the five per cent pay cut for councillors and ceased their claims for broadband expenses until the situation is reviewed again.

A report of the final budget proposals will be brought back to cabinet on August 11.