Liberal Democrats say: “Stop wasting money and start protecting vital services for Surrey residents”

In the run up to the County Council agreeing its Budget for 2015/16 on 10 February, Cllr Hazel Watson Leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on the County Council said: "My message to the Conservative administration at County Hall is to stop wasting money and start protecting vital services for Surrey residents.

"In putting together the Budget what is needed is a fresh approach and a fundamental change compared with previous years. The Budget needs to tackle Surrey's problems, provide value for money, an efficiently run County Council and above all to protect vital services for Surrey residents.

"The Conservative administration has to stop wasting council taxpayers money such as on unnecessary Cabinet Associate posts, on the unnecessary "Surrey Matters" Council newspaper, on unused office space, on excessively high fees to agencies for recruiting agency staff, on unacceptably high staff costs as agency staff are contracted as opposed to staff being recruited, on excessive energy bills on energy inefficient buildings, and on excessive untouched earmarked reserves that could be put to better use.

"The money saved could be used to provide more respite care for carers, to protect bus services, to restore Surrey's crumbling pavements, to fund road safety schemes including 20 mph speed limits outsides schools and to pay for solar panels on council buildings.

"The Budget for 2015/16 must fund services at a realistic level to avoid what has happened this year with services for vulnerable adults being cut whilst the budget for these services was overspent as the level of expected savings was unrealistic.

"On the other hand the budget for the Council's back office administration, the "Business Services" and the "Chief Executive's Office" budgets, should not receive over-generous funding so that they under-spend their budgets, as in the current year, whilst services to Surrey residents are cut.

"I urge the Conservative administration to cut unnecessary administration and bureaucracy first in order to protect vital services to Surrey residents."