The past year has been an interesting one for this Council. With a backdrop of economic uncertainty across the country, the public that we represent expect from the Council: Responsibility: Rigour and Results. The public expect us to take responsibility for the actions of the Council. This Party has always been clear that it is the politicians that must take the blame (and the credit) for the things that are done in the name of the Vale of White Horse. Unlike the Party opposite we do not believe in blaming officers and partners for the mistakes that have been made. After more than ten years in control surely the Lib Dems have no excuses left. The public also expects rigour in our business dealings. The overspends, bad estimates, and poor management of the last twelve months are all down to the Council’s Executive, and their failure to provide rigorous oversight. There can be no more ostrich politics, with portfolio holders burying their heads in the sand. They, collectively, have failed. The public want to see results. Value for money, efficient and easy to access services. The public not only desire, but deserve, the best services that our excellent officers can provide; with the assistance, not the interference of Members.But the last year has been in stark contrast to these expectations. Instead of the three Rs of Responsibility; Rigour and Results, this Council has delivered three Cs: Cowardice, Chaos and most of all, Cuts. Is it any wonder the public are disillusioned with local democracy when, rather than leading from the front, rather than displaying the responsibility that the public expect, the controlling Party displays distinct political cowardice. We have seen a tendency to delay difficult decisions, even a tendency to delay relatively easy decisions.A trait epitomised this evening by the cowardly declaration that the Leader intends to use Executive powers to defer the increase in charging for community groups in our civic halls, just fifteen days before the Wantage & Grove by-elections. Do they really think that anyone would have been fooled by this?Instead of rigour, we are given chaos. There has been mistake after mistake after mistake. There were the grants that no-one knew we were getting; there were the grants no-one knew we were losing. There were the bills that we didn’t realise we had to pay, and the bills that we simply didn’t pay. There were the under estimates of costs, and the over spends of revenue. Do we see clear leadership? No. Instead we see divided leadership, hanging on by their fingertips. Not solving the problems, simply dealing with the symptoms. And now the cuts. In last year’s budget the provision of bus passes was reduced, despite the guarantees of the Leader and in line with our predictions. And what do we have again this year? Yet another cut to the bus pass scheme, hiding behind the government scheme, they are unable to maintain the support to elderly people that the public have come to expect. We have had planned cuts to CCTV provision, which was only uncovered by opposition members, following failed procedures - forcing an embarrassing climb down. The much heralded LSP service is to be reduced. Wantage is to have it’s LSP moved from its current location on cost grounds and to loose its cash office; Abingdon will also stop taking cash, and it has never started accepting credit cards; and the Faringdon office is due to be closed completely, meaning that the Council will effectively be pulling out of the town all together, and at the same time jeopardising the future of the Town Council office.There are however a number of proposals included in this budget of which we approve. I will list these first, quite frankly it is a shorter list! We welcome the admission in the capital programme that the Vale is a full partner in the AbITS scheme, in fact Vale Lib Dem members are up to their necks in it. The capital programme shows the truth of the Council’s involvement. Where as last year’s Lib Dem literature suggested that only £15,000 was being spent by the Vale it is clear that this snapshot does not show the whole picture. In fact the Vale will have spent over quarter of a million pounds by the end of next year. We also welcome the increase in capital funding for flood prevention work, much needed following the experiences of 2007. Furthermore we welcome the appointment of a Leisure Planning & Projects officer. For too long this Council has failed to get the most from S106 agreements, the strengthening of our planning in this area may have helped to secure a Wantage Arts Centre, how many other opportunities have been missed? Let us hope that this is not too little, too late.We then come to the large an unexpected increase in pension provision. This is another example of where the short sightedness of the Lib Dem administration has led to further costs for the taxpayer. If, like other Conservative Councils the Vale had made earlier contributions to the pension scheme, rather than stepping the payments due to our poor financial position we would have been able to significantly reduce the additional burden of £440,000 which we are now having to pay. Have we learnt from this lesson? Of course not. Having raided the reserves to pay the bill this year, the budget that we are presented with this evening shows that we have no intention to build up any similar reserve for future pension contributions.Yet this is not the only expected cost. Yet again we have underestimated the costs of the bus pass scheme. We are again, another £100,000 over budget, meaning that the scheme will be reduced even more this year. Those qualifying will only be able to use their bus passes from 9.30am, rather than the 9am that is currently the case. Now the Executive blame the Government, yet other authorities, with better financial planning and management are able to maintain the early start over and above the statutory scheme. Let us hear no more false promises for the Leader that the scheme will continue unchanged. Yet again it is the public that suffer.In the last two weeks it has also become clear that our budget monitoring is simply not up to scratch. Our accountants were already predicting an overspend of £75,000, which has been budgeted for, but this has now escalated to quarter of a million pounds. If only portfolio holders had a better grip on their service areas perhaps this could have been foreseen. It is one thing to have a large overspend that is at least predicted and planned for, but it is quite another to have an overspend which is equivalent of a nearly 5% increase in Council Tax. Even if the first offence were excusable, the latter certainly is not.So with this backdrop of such a poor record, the evidence of poor control, and failed leadership, what do we see in this budget proposal? Well thought through efficiency savings? Proposals for improved management? Protection of frontline services? Not a bit of it. Instead we see panic and chaos, squeezes and cuts. Rather than restoring confidence, this budget simply raises more questions.This year there is an increase of £40,000 for the Capita ‘Collection Guarantee’. A fine proposal in principle, but is it really an increase? Well no, it isn’t. Actually as so many things it is the correction of an error. This large sum should have been included in last year’s budget, indeed we have had to pay this bill already, but this is the first year anyone has thought to show it in the budget.Then there is the climate change strategy. The introduction to the strategy states, and I quote, “The Council aims to get its own house in order”. What a wise lesson, and perhaps one that our finance portfolio holder should consider. The Strategy called for revenue expenditure of over quarter of a million pounds (that’s right, about the same amount as the predicted overspend for this year). The capital that was supposed to be invested in this project was £365,000 over three years. This is more than 12% of this years entire capital programme. After taking all the credit for this hugely ambitious scheme, the inevitable has happened. Quietly, hoping no-one would notice, the Executive have effectively abandoned their plans. They wrote the strategy, without realising the dire financial straits in which they are in, and now realise that they cannot fund it. Instead they are putting in less than one third of the money needed this year, and this will rise to only 40% by the end of the three year plan. A truly shameful result. If you are going to do something, do it properly.Yet, what about the little things? Turning off the lights? Turning down the heating. For the past two years at least there has been a ‘future’ budget saving proposed from reduced utility costs, yet has anything concrete actually happened? Yes we are slowly replacing our light bulbs with energy savings ones, but despite numerous calls from Conservative members they have failed to do the simplest thing, turn the thermostat down. It would be quite possible, to reduce the temperature in Abbey House by just a couple of degree, leaving it a perfectly comfortable working environment, yet saving the Council money and reducing our carbon emissions, yet after two years of planning, they cannot even manage to do this one simple thing.But was there light at the end of the tunnel? No doubt the Lib Dem group thought all their Christmases had come early when they were presented with an “easy option”. For a group that seems to care little about the good management of this Council the idea of more vacant posts would not worry them. Yet again we see our excellent officers being squeezed more and more and yet being expected to produce more and more. Therefore it is now proposed that we reduce our salary provision from 95% to 94%. A small move on paper, which saves over £100,000, but one which will put added pressure on managers to take longer to recruit, to keep posts vacant, all at a time when we should be investing in our most valuable asset – our staff.There are the concerns over the Civic Halls and Leisure Centres. Already under review and due to have their hours cut. And to add further worries for the people of the Vale, we have heard this evening that the portfolio holder will not even give a clear guarantee on the future of Wantage Civic Hall! Does this spell the beginning of the pull our from Wantage, as we have seen in Faringdon?These are facilities, much valued by the public, which this Party views as an asset to the Vale, whereas the Party opposite seems to treat them as a burden.This year’s budget has been a chaotic sham from start to finish. Within the last seven days further savings have been sort in order to bolster the finances. The penultimate version of the budget was published with £135,000 worth of savings missing! Only to be added at the last minute in an undignified scrum to prop up the budget. Call this open and transparent consultation? And why are we having to make these savings? To reduce Council Tax? To make investment in important services? No, simply so that we have a contingency in case we are capped for our high Council Tax increase. The savings identified by the Lib Dems raise two questions, both of which will be of interest to the public. Are the Lib Dems running this Council efficiently? And are we delivering for the public? Sadly the answer to both of those questions must be no. The vast majority of the £120,000 identified as savings were items that we should have been saving anyway. I estimate at least £90,000 worth of savings should have been included in the first place, why do portfolio holders only deliver them when up against the wall? It is clear that only budget pressures, not diligence will force efficiency at the Vale. Yet to top up the savings needed to compensate for the risk of capping, community grants have been cut yet again, and the plan to introduce parking payment by mobile phone has been scrapped. The latter will no doubt further damage our economy. At a time when the hikes in parking charges have severely damaged local traders, especially in Abingdon, it is appalling to scrap a scheme which allowed us to compete as attractive shopping places with our near neighbours. The 9% cut in Community Grants is also shocking. After reducing these grants year on year, despite Conservative proposals last year to increase the fund by more than £130,000, yet again we see £10,000 being taken out of the pot to plug holes. On our own area committees we all know how hard it can be to find the funding that voluntary groups not only apply for and deserve. Collectively they do more good for the Vale than this Council will ever do, for a lot less money. They have the expertise and the vision that is needed, and yet we seem more and more reluctant to help them, but would rather run our own schemes, thinking that we know best.Also affecting these important community groups is the plan to removal of the significant discount for those booking one of our halls. Yet again this will hit our voluntary services where it hurts, in their pockets. But tonight we see the most blatent act of cowardice: to delay the cuts until after the Wantage & Grove by-election. Why can they not either have the courage of their convictions, or even better follow our advice and do not make the cut!So what have we been presented with tonight? Cowardice, Chaos and Cuts. A poorly prepared budget, showing lack of foresight, political opportunism and cuts, one that this Party cannot possibly support. This morning my bundle of budget papers fell apart, I hope that this isn’t an omen of another year’s poor financial management.