Shameless: Tory Porkies in the Council Chamber

So, last night saw the meeting of the Full Council to approve Exeter City Council's budget for 2013-14. Perhaps foolishly, Exeter Tories had already given us a "heads up" on their likely forms of attack in their recent tweets of their election material. If their new leaflet was anything to go by, the Tories were going to argue against an increase in Council Tax by £5 per year, and - unbelievably - against the decision by Exeter Council to pass on the imposed cuts to Council Tax Support forced on us by central government.

Yesterday, I addressed these two issues in my blog post, pointing out that Conservative local authorities, and the Conservative Police & Crime Commissioner for Devon & Cornwall Police were also being forced to raise Council Tax, and that Sir Merrick Cockell - Tory Chair of the Local Government Association - had attacked the government's cuts to Council Tax benefit. I went along to Full Council convinced that local Tories surely wouldn't be daft enough to try these arguments in public - in a Council debate. 

Exeter Council's Leader, Labour Councillor Pete Edwards, set out the scale of the challenge facing local authorities, accurately set out Exeter's position as a resilient city in the face of significant national economic hardship, and Exeter Labour's clear plan for jobs and growth in the city. Cllr Edwards set out the need for an increase in Council Tax, and also set out the reasons why Exeter Council under Labour refuses to use the New Homes Bonus to "plug the shortfall" in government funding to local authorities.

Exeter Labour is using revenue from development and
growth to fund capital infrastructure and community
projects

Deputy Leader, Cllr Rachel Sutton reiterated this latter point. If Exeter were to "build in" income from a new scheme like the New Homes Bonus, and then that funding were to cease, Exeter would suddenly be left facing a stark "fiscal cliff" - and deep, hard cuts would follow. Exeter Labour chooses to have a balanced revenue budget, and use the New Homes Bonus income to invest in infrastructure projects and much-needed community facilities.

Cllr Greg Sheldon argued the case for the increase in Council Tax. The additional revenue raised matches the interest payments needed on our capital borrowing to invest in Exeter's proposed upgraded flood defences. £5 per household per year - less than 2p per day - so that Exeter can have the protection it needs in the future from the flood risks that we are starting to see far too frequently now. The Tories, it seems, oppose this common-sense move.

Tory Leader Cllr Henson

Sure enough, Exeter Tories' leader, Polsloe councillor Yolonda Henson  rose to her feet and while forced to recognise the excellent year Exeter has had under Labour, she attacked first the cut to Council Tax benefit, and then the rise in Council Tax itself. "I don't think it is fair to cut the Council Tax benefit," she said, "it's placing an extra burden on those already struggling."

Cllr Pete Edwards agreed. The issue is not whether Council Tax Benefit cuts affect the poorest - it does. The issue is who is responsible. "This is your cut - it's from your government," he rightly pointed out. "Why should I hide what this government is doing? Why should Exeter Council see more local cuts to hide national government cuts?" he asked.

I set out the arguments why Exeter Tories' apparent sudden "compassion" on the issue of Council Tax Benefit was desperate, cynical electioneering in yesterday's blog post, but Cllr Henson took this hypocrisy to a whole new level last night. You see, on the 20th November 2012, the Executive Committee of Exeter City Council met, and debated changes to Council Tax Benefit for 2013/14. The papers set out the facts - a 10% cut from national government. Pensioners must be protected - so the cut must be shared among working age households. If Councils choose not to pass the cut on, the shortfall would obviously have to be found elsewhere in the Council's budget.

The recommendation was that Exeter would reluctantly impose a 20% cut in local Council Tax Support. Minute 110 reads:

"Executive unanimously supported the proposed new scheme."

That's "unanimously." No one voted against it. No one abstained. Cllr Henson - now so vocally against the cut - voted in favour of it! Even as Exeter Tories tweet that local cuts to Council Tax Benefit - forced by cuts from this coalition government - were made "out of spite" and were "disgraceful", they knew that their own Leader had voted for them.

I later gave my speech, citing the same arguments as I made in yesterday's blog post. Cllr Henson approached me after the meeting to ask why I was quoting Sir Merrick Cockell. "He's in London," she said. "They don't get New Homes Bonus."

I didn't quite understand what she was trying to get at, so pointed out that I quoted Sir Merrick Cockell in the context of Council Tax Benefit cuts, not Council Tax or income; and that he was speaking as Chair of the LGA - a national body - not as Leader of his home Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. "It doesn't matter," she said again, "they don't get New Homes Bonus." Okay, but while this argument is of no consequence, it is still factually wrong. Not only does Kensington & Chelsea receive New Homes Bonus, it receives a higher value of bonus than most other areas!

Still, I took the opportunity to ask her the question I had been waiting to ask: 

Me: "If you are against the Council Tax Benefit scheme in Exeter, why did you vote for it at November's Executive Committee?" 

Cllr Henson: "Was I there?" (Not sure why she was asking me! But I had checked the minutes.)

Yes, Cllr Henson, you were there!

Me: "You were. And the scheme was supported unanimously. That means you must have voted for it."

Cllr Henson: "Oh. Well I probably misread the papers, then."

So there you have it. The Leader of Exeter Tories "misread" the papers on one of the very issues they are now campaigning on. That's a seven-page covering report, with illustrative tables to demonstrate the impact of the new scheme on different bands.

Oh, and the report on the consultation with local people about the scheme.

And the Equality Impact Assessment report about how the scheme would impact the most vulnerable sections of Exeter's community.

And the paper that set out the necessary amendments needed to the Council's constitution to apply the proposed scheme.

And four other papers related to the scheme. "Misread" all of them, apparently.

Either ExeterTories need to admit that they are now electioneering on an issue that their government is responsible for and that their Leader knowingly voted for, or they need to find a Leader who is capable of following critical Council business in meetings.

Exeter Labour is contesting the Devon County Council elections this May. You can read about our candidates here. We will be campaigning positively and honestly - focusing on our track record of delivery locally. Join us here.