SIR, There has been some criticism of the county council's consultation exercise following the Government's reduction in the highways' maintenance allocation for Cumbria of some 21 per cent.
It is, of course, easy to shoot the messenger' while the essential point is that Government has treated Cumbria very badly over this issue.
The administration will, of course, make the final decision on how to respond to the difficult problem which Government has handed to us. It seems to me to be perfectly reasonable to give people the opportunity of expressing their views. We can accept the Government's reduction in spending on roads (with all that that implies), or restore some or all of the money by raising it from our council tax payers.
It is a stark choice, not of our making. There is no easy answer. I wish there were.
The Government continues to impose ever-increasing responsibilities upon county councils, without matching funding.
We are in the process of changing and modernising the way in which services are delivered, in improving performance, and investing in our staff.
As for the pay for senior officers, this is to be found from efficiency savings and will have no impact on the level of council tax.
No final decisions will be taken until the Budget Council on February 20, but I can assure you that we are trying to keep the council tax increase down to a minimum while protecting our services to the best of our ability.
Rex Toft
Leader, Cumbria County Council, Carlisle
February 7, 2003 15:30
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