Clearly the Labour group is struggling to produce a joined up and cohesive financial strategy and has made wild claims about a £40m spending gap facing the council when after savings and restructuring, most of which were kick-started by the previous Conservative administration, the 2015 budget shortfall is estimated by the council’s finance officers only to be a little over £7m.”
The Government has offered to give the council £12m of capital money towards a £20m scheme to prevent a collapse in the Ironbridge Gorge which during these hard times demonstrates the great urgency of the situation. At a time when this Labour Group has already borrowed an extra £6.6m to fund the Ice Rink, Brookside and other projects it is simply a question of priorities and which is the more important and urgent for the community; Leisure or the potential for a flooded local community and world heritage site?”