The hidden costs of Lib Dem councils

Hedge End Lib Dems are very good at telling us (repeatedly) that they have kept council tax below inflation for several years. But how good are they at keeping other council charges down now that we have high inflation and a Conservative cost of living crisis?

Hedge End Town Council is run entirely by Lib Dems. They have recently agreed a budget of over £ONE MILLION for the first time. That means the council tax payers of Hedge End will have to fork out a total of £836,000. (The rest comes from charges for sports fields, community halls, allotments etc.)

In 2013 the equivalent figure was £646,000. That is a massive increase of 30% in the council tax precept in just ten years. And well above inflation.

The Lib Dems have also hiked other borough council charges.

In 2013 if you forgot to put your wheely-bin out, the council would come back (for a first offence only) and empty it for no extra charge.

In 2023 they will charge you £20 each time.

In 2013 there was no charge if you wanted to close your road for a charity event.

In 2023 the Lib Dems will charge you £200.

In 2013 you could have 8 bulky items (furniture, kitchen appliances etc) collected for £42.

In 2023 the Lib Dems will charge you £175. An increase of more than 300%.

Other notable charges that have increased in ten years under the Lib Dems include charges for pest control. The cost of general advice about pest control has risen from £21 to £45 (increase 114%). A callout for a wasp nest has gone from £35 to £68 (up 94%). If you had a rat problem in 2013 the council would charge £65 for 4 visits. In 2023 you get 3 visits for £160. A stonking increase per visit of 212%.

Need to have the dog warden attend to a stray dog? The charge has gone up 62% from £58 to £94.

For those with an artistic or dramatic bent, the cost of renting Hedge End’s Berry Theatre for one day (11 hours) has gone up from £735 to £900. Plus, there are now separate charges for employing the theatre’s technician (up to £550), using a projector and screen (£97), PA system (up to £250), conference mics (up to £250).

Something to think about when the Lib Dems claim to have saved us money.

See also my blog post from 2017:
Hedge End Blogger: The true cost of a Lib Dem council

(Sources: Cabinet papers “Corporate Fees and Charges” 2013 and 2023 – available to view at eastleigh.gov.uk)

Town Council honours long serving members

 May’s elections to Hedge End Town Council resulted in a clean sweep for the Lib Dems who took all 18 seats available.

There did not seem to be much business for the council at its first meeting after the elections which was combined with the AGM.

Cllr Jane Welsh celebrated 40 years as a parish and town councillor. And there were long service awards for ex-councillors Sheila Baynes and Shankerlal Sthanakiya who had reached the milestone of 12 years’ service.

The Town Clerk announced that ex-councillor Ray Worley had recently passed away, but he had received his long service award via his daughter before he died.

The AGM agreed membership of the main committees – Recreation and Amenities, Highways and Planning, and Policy and Resources. The Lib Dems limited membership of these committees to nine members which means only three need to turn up for meetings to go ahead. We elected 18 councillors, but as few as three could be making decisions on our behalf as committee decisions are normally just rubber-stamped by full council.

Only 15 of the newly elected councillors were there at the beginning of the meeting. Two arrived during the very last agenda item, having been at a more important meeting. One did not turn up at all.

I took the opportunity to raise a question about the safety of parking at the Upper Northam Road end of Turnpike Way. There seems to have been an increase in parking there during office hours. It is legal because the double yellow lines stop just east of the Clover Way junction. But it has the effect of forcing traffic heading towards Upper Northam Road onto the wrong side of the road, just where vehicles, including buses, are coming round the bend into Turnpike Way.

The chair of the council referred my question to the Highways and Planning committee. We will have to wait and see what happens.