Rumpus over Tory newsletter (From Gazette Series)

Rumpus over Tory newsletter

A GLOUCESTERSHIRE county councillor has accused county Conservatives of misleading residents through a newsletter distributed in Wotton-under-Edge.

Cllr Dr John Cordwell (Lib Dem) said he was alarmed to receive the latest edition of In Touch

"It claims that the Conservative-controlled Stroud District Council has the lowest council tax in Gloucestershire. It is in fact the highest. The lowest is Tewkesbury at less than half Stroud's precept," he told last week's meeting of Wotton Town Council.

"It shows a pie-chart of how council tax is divided between county, district, town and police, which is wildly inaccurate.

"In terms of what people pay, £160.58 at band D, it is the highest precept of all district councils in the county, more than double Tewkesbury's and no doubt very high in the national league as it is in the current year."

Cllr Cordwell questioned former district councillor and present Wotton member Cllr John Gowers on the leaflet, which names Cllr Gowers as editor.

But Cllr Gowers said he had not even seen the leaflet.

"I require to know actually wrote this misleading pamphlet and demand an immediate cessation of its distribution and an apology in the Gazette for misleading the public," declared Cllr Cordwell.

"Using facts in ways to maximise political gain may be fair game - ie spin - but lies are certainly not acceptable."

After the meeting spokesman for Gloucestershire Conservatives Hayward Burt defended the leaflet when contacted by the Gazette.

"We are talking about council tax rises in Gloucestershire not overall council tax," he stated

Stroud and Forest of Dean had the lowest increase in their demand at 2.5 percent compared with 2.8 percent for Tewkesbury, 3.5 percent in Cotswold, 4.9 percent in Cheltenham and 7.7 percent in Gloucester.

"Cllr Cordwell claims the pie-chart is widely inaccurate. I checked the Stroud website and it gives the same figures.

"The point we are quite rightly making is why the Liberal Democrat and Labour-run county council needed to increase council tax by so much, when Conservative-controlled Stroud can be prudent.

"The second point is that when £7 out of every £10 goes to the county council the effect of the council tax rise it that much greater for every person in the district."