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25/02/09 : Tories demand £2.8M cuts :
A Tory budget this year would come with £2.798M of cuts in services, it became clear as Tory Leader Andrew Cumpsty addressed last night's budget meeting of Reading Borough Council.
He said his Group wanted no increase in Council Tax, pledged to vote against any budget that did not deliver that, and, after voting against Labour's budget plans, refused to take part in discussions with the other two parties to find a way forward after those plans had been defeated.
Labour Leader Jo Lovelock says "It is clear from the budget report (see page B37) that a 0% increase in Council Tax means cutting the budget by £2.798M and that is what the Tories want to do - although they failed totally to say how they would do it. Having spent a great deal of my time trawling through the Council's budget this year and in previous years, I can say flatly that cannot be done without real and painful cuts in services. Cllr. Cumpsty is all spin and no substance. He knows that neighbouring Tory authorities are proposing Council Tax increases similar to ours, and in pretending he can deliver 0% without pain he is being cruelly dishonest with the people of Reading."
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