NO CASH SUPPORT FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES FROM UTTLESFORD'S £360,000 SURPLUS (Saffron Walden Constituency Liberal Democrats)

Saffron Walden Constituency Liberal Democrats <info@saffronwaldenlibdems.org.uk>

NO CASH SUPPORT FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES FROM UTTLESFORD'S £360,000 SURPLUS

April 1, 2009 10:07 PM

Liberal Democrat Councillor Geoffrey Sell Uttlesford District Council's ruling Conservatives turned their back on recession-hit local businesses at last Thursday's Finance & Administration Committee. Despite appeals by Lib Dem finance spokesman, Cllr Geoffrey Sell, for the council to spend some of its rapidly growing surplus cash on supporting the local economy, Conservative finance chairman, Cllr Robert Chambers, insisted the money should stay in Uttlesford council's coffers to replace the money lost in Icelandic bank Landsbanki last year.

Uttlesford District Council has recently received a £98,000 business rate grant for local business support from the government. The Essex Federation of Small Businesses has called on Uttlesford to use the money as was intended by Gordon Brown. The council is forecasting a cash surplus this year of at least £360,000.

Cllr Sell commented "We were told when Landsbanki collapsed with over £2 million of Uttlesford's money in its vaults that this would have no effect on council service. We are now in a deep recession. Local employment is escalating. Job vacancies have fallen a lot. The Federation of Small Businesses has called on Uttlesford to copy other councils by investing in business support services.

"We have just discovered the council has £360,000 more cash in its coffers than the £2,000 surplus that was revealed when the budget was set as recently as February. But the Tories won't spend a penny of it. Worse still, the committee vice chairman implied that businesses that get into trouble have only themselves to blame and should be left to go bankrupt."

"The Liberal Democrats want the council to stop hoarding cash for some future rainy day; for many people and local businesses the weather is already pouring. It's time to start backing investment in jobs for the future that will benefit the local economy and the local environment."

The committee did eventually agree to look into Cllr Sell's suggestion that Uttlesford District Council should stage a recession clinic assisted by Business Link East. Uttlesford's officers will talk to their colleagues at East Herts District Council about about the possibility of an event planned in the neighbouring district.