Councillor Lister Writes to Wandsworth Town

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Public spending, investment and the forthcoming festive season.....

With the Chancellor racking up government debt to levels not seen since the Second World War it's rapidly becoming clear that the true scale of the country's economic mess is far greater than we have been told.

We are assured that more public spending is the answer. But when this has to be financed by yet higher amounts of government borrowing, the individual tax payer knows that it's only a matter of time before the bill lands on his or her doorstep.

It's why for many years now the council has had a systematic policy of cutting town hall waste and reducing municipal debt.

If you add up all the savings we have made they come to around £200m a year at current prices. That's £200m that we would otherwise have to find from local tax payers.

At the same time we have freed the council of just about all the debt on its books. It make a huge difference when it comes to setting the council tax to remove this sum from the equation.

It's a reminder why now, more than ever, it is so important that we get good value for money from all public spending. It's the taxpayer that pays in the end.

Amidst all the current economic gloom Wandsworth town centre remains a regeneration hot spot with £1bn of investment planned in the coming years. I’ll be helping the town centre partnership launch their new vision for this fast-changing area on December 9 at a special event for business being held at the Ipsus marketing suite on Buckhold Road.

Before then I’ll be at All Saints Church in the High Street on December 6 as the Mayor switches on the town centre's Christmas lights. It will be a truly festive occasion with a church service followed by carol singers, mince pies and mulled wine.

 

Councillor Edward Lister
Leader of the Council

November 26, 2008