At the Ipswich Borough Council budget meeting, Conservative Group Leader Cllr Nadia Cenci and Deputy Leader Cllr Eddy Phillips presented options which would enable the Borough to keep open its town crèche services.
The headline Conservative proposals are-
- We would keep the crèche service going.
- We would reduce the Ipswich Angle to once per year due to its low readership rates.
- We would seek a review to generate a modest additional income of £2000 across sports and leisure next year and more in later years.
- We would reduce and then remove area committee chairman’s allowances.
Our proposals save £65,000 which would enable the crèche services to continue in order to benefit 244 families who have used the service in the last year, and widen its usage to more families.
Unfortunately Labour which has the majority on Ipswich Borough Council, refused to take our proposals seriously and rejected them out of hand.
Cllr Nadia Cenci said “If Conservatives were running this council, we would have a completely different budget” and likened the example of how someone’s house and garden are unique to their priorities and desires.
Shadow Finance Portfolio Holder Cllr Phillips said “In terms of the budget proposed by Labour, their forecast 4-year deficit has increased from £4.28m to £7.04m in just the last 12 months, and will recklessly allow Ipswich Borough Council to run out of its reserves by March 2021.”
This is the same dangerous approach Labour would take with Suffolk County Council where they would raid the reserves to an unsustainably low level, leaving no money to invest in essential services and emergencies.
Only the Conservatives are trusted across Suffolk to spend your money wisely and invest in the public services in Ipswich that we continue to rely upon.