A huge number of Tendring residents are now being savagely squeezed between the disproportionate cuts unfairly imposed on the district by the Conservative-led Government and the inadequacies of their Conservative-led council in anticipating and dealing with them.

Tendring Council’s four opposition groups have now been joined by the two local MPs in offering their support to “make representations”

against the Government’s £2.8million reduction in Tendring Council’s spending (when nearby – and more prosperous – Chelmsford escaped with £1.8million).

Despite this united political front, and the continued cross-party efforts of the Local Government Association in London, council leader Neil Stock has remained silent about fighting against this unfair settlement for his district.

Meanwhile, his deputy, Peter Halliday, effectively said he was not going to waste his time and instead has swung a butcher’s axe to the council’s budget.

The proposed cuts and excessive fee increases will hit very many of our residents hard, in particular hitting the more vulnerable sections of our community, and they will not take kindly to their political leaders not fighting on their behalf.

To add insult to injury, Tendring Council’s Conservative administration is dressing up deep annual cuts to the voluntary sector as a large, one-off giveaway, and has now apparently been praised by Eric Pickles, the Government minister, for doing it.

The centrepiece of the council cabinet’s controversial budget announces a £500,000 Big Society Fund.

However, a closer look shows it has major strings attached to it.

In essence, you have to help the council cut its budget.

Most people would think officers and leading councillors, such as Neil Stock and Peter Halliday, are already well paid enough to do that.

Much worse, it also replaces up to £400,000 of simple and effective annual support to the voluntary sector that has helped hundreds of organisations and thousands of our more vulnerable residents.

What bureaucratic hoops will organisations have to jump through to access the money and once (or, more accurately, if) the £500,000 goes, what happens next?

Mr Pickles may be easily conned by such a gimmick, but Tendring residents will not be.

David Lines
Leader, Tendring First
Group
Les Double
Leader, Labour Group
Harry Shearing
Leader, Liberal/Democrat
Group
Michael Talbot
Leader, Independent Group