What to axe? Kingston Council election race enters final stretch (From Surrey Comet)

What to axe? Kingston Council election race enters final stretch

10:27am Tuesday 4th May 2010 in News By Martin George

Cuts to council services moved centre stage as the battle for control of Kingston Council entered its final stretch and the local election campaign mirrored the national debate.

Conservatives hoping to oust the eight-year-old Liberal Democrat administration rejected claims they would have to axe popular frontline services to fund their pledge to freeze council tax for two years, and disputed the £14m price tag put on the savings by their opponents.

The Lib Dem campaign newspaper Kingston and Surbiton Voice listed the Dickerage Lane adventure playground, Kingfisher leisure centre, Tudor and Old Malden libraries, and the Alfriston and Milaap day centres as potentially at risk.

However, Conservative campaign manager Nick Kilby said: “I am categorically ruling it out. Four years after we have been in power you will find them still open.

“It makes me feel [Council leader Derek Osbourne] is desperate to justify his own stance. It also makes me feel he has lost any idea of how he can achieve savings.

“£14m is a very large amount of money when you are talking about freezing council tax. My figure would be closer to £6m, but that is only an estimate subject to budget pressures we don’t know yet.”

Coun Osbourne dismissed Tory claims they could save money by clustering services at the branch libraries, saying the sites were too small.

He said: “You can’t cut £14m off the council budget without hitting frontline services. We know these are the services in the frame because we have refused to cut them despite officers’ recommendations for the past four years.”