VALUE FOR MONEY: LIB DEM COUNCILS COST YOU LESS!
 OPEN AND EFFECTIVE - A RECORD OF ACTION 
12th May 2007
 In Norwich, Liberal Democrats reduced the budget deficit from £2.9 million in 2002 - when they took control - to just £300,000 in 2004.
Liverpool had the highest council tax in the country when the Liberal Democrats took control in 1998. Liverpool is now 70th in the league table. Value for money has increased, with 75% of performance indicators showing major improvement.
Since Liberal Democrats took control of Stockport Council, council tax has increased by less than the national average every year, and it is the lowest spending council per head in the whole of Greater Manchester.
Average council tax rises in England (Band D properties - 1999-2005)
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| Year | 1999/2000 | 2000/01 | 01/02 | 02/03 | 03/04 | 04/05 | Average 1999-2005 | | Lib Dem | 5.0% | 5.5% | 6.3% | 8.1% | 10.1% | 6.4% | 6.9% | | Conservative | 7.7% | 5.3% | 8.6% | 9.3% | 16.2% | 6.0% | 8.9% |
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| Council’s performance indicators for 2003-4 | Wandsworth BC | English average | | Average time for processing new benefit claims (days) | 69 days | 44 days | | % of renewal claims processed on time | 44.35 | 66.83 | | User satisfaction with office contact | 72 | 77.45 |
A Liberal Democrat Wandsworth Council would:
Fight to maintain Wandsworth’s tradition of low Council Tax.
Make sure that your money is spent on your needs: A strong Council ethos of serving the whole local community, and providing leadership where this is required.
Never spend your money on election tax gimmicks.
The highest standards of openness across all the Council’s committees and activities: Stop the Tory cycle of tax cuts one year followed by massive tax hikes the following year - bring common sense to the budget!
The highest possible standards for value for money: Spend part of the massive Council reserves on improving services in your neighbourhood.
Introduce schemes to keep down levels of crime on our streets (as opposed to the Conservatives’ plans to axe the Street Wardens).
Clear and objective performance measures across all the Council’s activities, including user opinion surveys.
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Complaints against Tory Wandsworth Council rise by
20 per cent
Complaints against Conservative-run Wandsworth Council have risen to the highest level in eight years.
In the 2004/05 year, the Borough received over 25,000 complaints from residents.
Southfields Liberal Democrat Adam Towner said:‘Despite the vast amounts of our money that the Tories spend on telling us how good they are, these figures tell us the real truth. Wandsworth’s Conservatives have squandered the good will of local residents once again.’
Following the last local election, Wandsworth’s Conservatives raised your council tax by an astonishing 45%! This was the highest percentage rise in the entire country.
Every election year the Tories cut the local council tax to make sure that they are re-elected. The following year we always face a big tax rise to make up the shortfall.
It is local residents who always end up paying for the Conservatives’ mismanagement of the council’s finances!
The Lib Dems are fighting to keep council tax as low as possible.
We say the council’s budget should be run for the good of you, not for the good of the local Conservative Party!
It’s no surprise that Wandsworth raised its council tax so much - right across the country Tory councils raised their tax by a higher percentage than Liberal Democrat councils.
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October 2007: 
