Conservative councillors have criticised Labour's decision to spend tax payers' money on an expensive poster campaign to promote their own political agenda in the run up the election. These posters take credit for the council tax freeze in Merton but fail to mention that it was funded by the Government through the Council Tax Freeze Grant. Conservatives have lodged a formal complaint to the council's External Auditor and other relevant authorities about the use of tax payers' money to fund what is clearly political propaganda.
Cllr Oonagh Moulton - Leader of Merton's Conservative councillors - said:
"This is a blatant abuse of tax payers' money. In their recent Budget, Labour ring fenced the council's communications budget. Now we know why!
"Residents will want to know why their hard earned taxes are being spent on promoting Labour's political agenda. And how much money the council could have saved by renting out these billboards for commercial advertising instead.
"Labour wants it both ways. They blame the government for all their cuts one week only to airbrush out the government funding that enabled Merton's council tax to be frozen the next. You can't cut services claiming you have no choice and then brag about freezing council tax"
Stephen Hammond – MP for Wimbledon - commented:
"At a time when the local council are crying out about supposed hurtful central government funding and they are closing Merton Adult Education and cutting funding for the disabled, am I the only person who thinks spending on political propaganda for the Labour Party represents an odd sense of priority?"
Paul Holmes – Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Mitcham and Morden – added:
"These posters are clearly a very expensive attempt at hiding Merton Council's failure in safeguarding important services for the people of Merton. I am sure that residents will be shocked at the expense of these posters when valuable services for the most vulnerable are being slashed by the Labour administration."
NOTES
- A formal objection has been submitted to the council's Monitoring Officer and has also been sent to Merton's External Auditor, the Audit Commission, the Electoral Commission and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
- Conservative councillors have submitted questions to the council about the cost of the poster campaign and the amount of revenue that could be generated if the billboards were rented out to commercial advertisers instead.
- There are strict rules in the run up to elections about what publicity activities councils and other public bodies are allowed to undertake.
- Since 2011, the Government has provided Merton council with over £12 million to enable it to freeze council tax. As well as the level being frozen for 5 years (2011-2015), council tax was cut by the previous Conservative administration in 2010.
- Only £3000 is being taken out of the council's communications and marketing budget in 2015-16 whilst Labour are choosing to cut services for Merton's disabled and elderly residents instead.
- In 2014/15 Merton council is overspending its communications budget by £75,000.