Darren Fower

A recent article in the Evening Telegraph entitled “MPs slam Peterborough City Council for council tax increase” shows that the City’s Tories are still very much divided, says Liberal Democrat city councillor, Darren Fower.

The recent article claims:

"Peterborough City Council’s cabinet has come under fire for letting the adult social care bill spiral out of control, prompting a proposed 2.95 per cent tax rise in 2012/13, while refusing to accept a government grant to freeze the tax."

Apparently Bob Neill MP, minister for local government and the Tory MP for Peterborough are calling for a freeze on Council Tax this year, while the leader of the Tory controlled city council in Peterborough has said a freeze on Council Tax is not “..in the city’s best interests.”

Commenting, LIB DEM councillor for South Werrington and North Gunthorpe, Darren Fower said:

“If senior Conservatives in this city do not even agree amongst themselves, how on earth can they truly represent people in Peterborough? Surely, when the big issues are decided and agreed, they communicate it amongst themselves?

“What’s truly farcical is that we have a dispute over Council Tax payments between a millionaire leader of the City Council and a Tory MP for the city that gets paid nearly five and a half thousand pounds a month, and in recent years has allowed taxpayers to pay for his virgin broadband, second home, utilities and mortgage!

“If the Tory MP is so upset about the planned Council Tax rise then I’d suggest he might like to bother to attend the next Council meeting and question the Tory administration in a proper and open arena, otherwise it appears, in my opinion, that he’s just getting a Westminster mate to do his bidding?”