Telford and Wrekin Tories to produce alternative budget

The local Conservative group will table its budget alongside the Labour administration's proposals at the full council meeting on February 27.

The budget will be scrutinised by council officers to check that it is "robust" and realistic.

The main points include cutting the budget for adult care services by £4.7m instead of the proposed £7m, and investing £7m a year in highways.

The Conservatives would scrap the council's Pride in Your Community Programme, which is due to be discussed at tonight's cabinet meeting and would see £9.5m investment in projects over two years.

The Tories say the money would be better spent on protecting adult services and roads.

Conservative leader Councillor Andrew Eade said: "There has never been a proper alternative budget before.

"The proposed £7m cut to adult social care is potentially horrendous. They are abandoning the elderly.

"I am shocked at the Labour administration having this stance through the Pride in Your Community Programme which puts pruning 700 trees ahead of the care of vulnerable people in the area.

"This is a serious alternative budget. It is what we would do if we were sitting in power. It is not pie in the sky."

Councillor Eade said the extra investment in highways would make the borough's roads "Rolls-Royce" standard.

Tory councillor Adrian Lawrence, the shadow cabinet member for resources, said cutting £7m from the adult care services budget was too much.

He said: "It makes up 36 per cent of the budget so they do have to address that area - they can't ignore it.

"There are significant pressures, and that would still be the case with a Conservative administration, but our cuts to adult care services would be significantly less."

But Labour councillor Bill McClements, cabinet member for finance and enterprise, questioned how the Tories would finance £2.3m extra in adult care in light of £30m Government cuts.

He added: "This administration does listen to residents' concerns and environmental issues are top of their agenda.

"Let's not forget that when Councillor Eade was in power his administration planned to spend £40m on building a posh council office block and now wants to scrap this administration's £9.5m of investment in keeping our communities safe, clean and well maintained, together with investing in our highways and improving the quality of footpath and cycleways."

Councillor Shaun Davies said it was "beyond belief" that the Tories wanted to scrap the Pride in Your Community Programme which would support areas including Sutton Hill and Hollinswood.

Councillor Eade said the Conservative group agrees with Labour's proposed £1.3m investment in youth employment, the £1.2m to look after children and the council tax freeze.

The alternative budget will be available to view online once it has been approved by officers.