This morning is budget day at the Council. With my Lib Dem colleagues we have been pushing using for greater investment in road and footpath repairs, an initiative to help local communities install 20mph schemes and funding to help groups hit by Labour’s devastating youth service cuts.

Once again Cllr Napier (Labour Deputy Leader) said the council has used reserves – £70 million since 2011. Once again I had to point out this was not true – In 2011 reserves were £97 million – they are now over £200 million. So his comments are indefensible – he is treating the public with the upmost disrespect by saying things which are patently untrue.

Our proposals to invest more in roads and footpaths, to protect youth services and provide funding for community safety were voted down by Labour councillors.

This despite the fact that we were funding them from money which the council had placed into its reserve against its own policy.

General reserves should not rise above 7.5% of council spending according to the councils rules. They will be up to £2m above that, in breach of the Council’s own rules yet Labour councillors refused to listen and refused to support spending on the priorities we put forward.

Having refused to accept our proposals this left the money in the accounts unallocated. In addition, with reserves of well over £200million, it was simply not right to then ask the public for a 2% council tax rise on top of a 2% rise for adult care.

So we proposed removing the 2% rise. This was also voted down by Labour who offered no explanation of why reserves had gone up rather than down as they suggested.

So once again services are cut unnecessarily and more money will sit in council coffers unspent – taken out of the pockets of local people.