Telford's Labour leaders blast Tories for ‘£181million in cuts’ as Conservatives hit back over borrowing

The lone Conservative councillor in Telford & Wrekin Council chamber on Thursday hit back with a criticism of the authority’s borrowing which he compared to never being able to pay off the mortgage.

Budget proposals will now go to a meeting of the full Telford & Wrekin Council at the end of this month where Labour’s majority over all other parties is expected to confirm the £1.15 per week increase for Band B properties.

The increase will be higher than that for Bands C and above and lower for Band A properties. The final council tax will also have to include precepts from the police, the fire service and town and parish councils.

Councillor Zona Hannington (Lab, Lawley) the council’s cabinet member for Finance, Governance & Customer Service, was the first to launch an assault on 14 years of Conservative government, which ended with a Labour victory in the General Election last year.

She accused the Tories of 14 years of ‘hostility’ during which time £181 million had been ‘ripped away’ from Telford.

“That is £36,000 for every day they were in Government,” she said, adding that they were ‘cheered on’ by local Conservatives.

But she said the council had “managed to avoid the worst” and she sees the new Government being positive.

Councillor Hannington said that all £7.7 million raised by the increased council tax take would be ploughed into social care.

The planned council tax increase of 4.99 per cent for 2025/26 includes the Government’s 2 per cent Adult Social Care precept.

Councillors were told that there would also have to be £13 million of ‘budget savings’ and Councillor Hannington said fees and charges would be going up as the council sets a revenue budget of £180 million.

But Labour councillors were keen to point out that council tax payers will likely still be paying the lowest bills in the Midlands.

Councillor Hannington added that there would also be investments in homes and neighbourhoods, jobs and training, roads and green spaces.

And, comparing the council to Shropshire, she said it would be maintaining free car parks, free green waste collections and avoiding cuts.

Neither opposition party has presented an alternative to the Labour budget.

Councillor Tim Nelson (Newport North), the Conservative group leader claimed that the council debts amount to a mortgage which “is never paid off”, and said if “interest rates turn against you, it is no longer fine”.

But Councillor Richard Overton (Lab, St Georges) who was chairing the meeting in the absence of leader Lee Carter, said: “Borrowing delivers homes, jobs and businesses and provides an income to cover the cuts the Conservatives made.”

Councillor Carolyn Healey (Lab, Ironbridge Gorge), told the Cabinet meeting that budgeting was “still very challenging” but she sees “light at the end of the tunnel” with a Labour government.

But Councillor Ollie Vickers (Lab, Donnington) said the Government had provided a “fantastic” financial package to the council. He sees it as “repairing the damage of 14 years.”

But Lib Dem group leader Councillor Bill Tomlinson (Shawbirch & Dothill) said the government had been “slightly more favourable” and “there is hope.”

But he poured scorn on the failure of politicians to come up with a solution to ever rising costs of adult social care. Labour in Government won’t be consulting on funding until 2028. The care budget accounts for 75p in every pound spent by Telford & Wrekin Council.

Councillor Tomlinson said: “It will be another three years on the backburner. There are fears over having a conversation with the public over the costs but someone has got to have the courage to stand up.”