Last night the Vale of White Horse District Council met in Wantage Civic Hall to debate the Council’s budget for the coming year. The Lib Dem Executive proposed an inflation busting Council Tax increase of 4.99% in a budget that also included a number of savage cuts for local groups.Leading the response to the Lib Dem budget proposal, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Matthew Barber, described the proposal as “a chaotic sham from start to finish”. Listing the numerous failings of the Lib Dem administration over the last year, Cllr Barber highlighted a huge overspend of £250,000 predicted by Council officers.Cllr Bill Melotti, Conservative Councillor for Wantage Charlton Ward, and candidate in the forthcoming County Council by-election on 13th March said, “It is clear that Wantage will lose out yet again to Abingdon as a result of this budget”. He added, “My opponent in the by-election, Jenny Hannaby, refused to guarantee the future of Wantage Civic Hall, and offered no new investment in facilities at the Wantage Leisure Centre.”Conservative Leader, Cllr Melinda Tilley, criticised the Lib Dem budget proposal for cuts being made to community grants, and increases in prices for community groups hiring the Council’s halls. She said, “The inability of the Leader to get a grip on his administration’s failings have led to front line cuts. The grants budget has been cut by nearly 10% and bills for community groups will increase to balance the Council’s books”The lively debate was notable for two significant Lib Dem U-turns. During his introduction to the budget, the Lib Dem Council leader explained that he would be deferring the removal of discounts for community groups. Cllr Matthew Barber responded saying, “Tonight we see the most blatant act of cowardice: to delay the cuts until after the Wantage & Grove by-elections. Why can they not either have the courage of their convictions, or even better follow our advice and do not make the cut!”In the second shock retraction, Lib Dem County Candidate Jenny Hannaby was forced to apologise to Conservative members in a debate over funding for a review of the flood risk at Grove. Conservative members have previously called for an independent assessment, but the Lib Dems have not budgeted for the cost of such a report, suggesting that they are still opposed to it.Conservative Councillor for Grove, James McGee said, “It is clearly for short term political gain, that Cllr Hannaby promised at a recent public meeting to fight for an independent review, in what appeared to be a commitment to get funding. She has clearly not got the backing of the Lib Dems as there are no plans in the budget for a report to assess the flood risks from new housing at Grove airfield.Cllr Bill Melotti concluded, “The Lib Dem Vale is in chaos. Clearly they are determined to prop up their power base in Abingdon at the cost of Wantage. Tonight we were told that the Council will not provide funding for improvements to facilities at the Wantage Leisure Centre; they will not guarantee the future of the Civic Hall; local community groups are to have funding cut by nearly 10%, and once the by-election is out of the way, voluntary groups will have to pay double to use our halls”.