LAST week, it became public that the Con-Dem Government had clawed back more than £2.5m from Swindon Borough Council in capital grant funding (money targeted at specific projects).

In the Adver’s article, I said the Leader of the Council and his Cabinet colleagues had failed to prepare for the economic storm that was always likely to come from the advent of a Tory-led government.

The Leader of the Council’s response was that, because the government’s capital grants were in instalments, Swindon Council could do nothing to avoid Central Government claw back of the £2.5 million. What he didn’t tell you is that, if the council had committed to spending this Central Government money, Swindon would have been able to keep this money- something that Central Government stated and other local authorities implemented. Instead, the Conservative administration sleepwalked in to the last election and the result is that £2.5 million of Central Government money to Swindon has been lost.

I think this tells you two things about the Conservative administration in Swindon Borough Council. Firstly, they used the myth that Swindon was being underfunded by the previous Labour government as an excuse to make cuts to vulnerable groups and road maintenance budgets, all the while not saying that millions of pounds was being ploughed in to the council from the previous Labour government through capital grants. Secondly, this again highlights the level of waste this council is making, something that is compounded by the fact that the council is spending £500k on their communications budget, £30k on hospitality and £500k on a failed car parking charges policy.

(COUN) DERIQUE MONTAUT

Leader of the Labour Group