Press News
City of York Council leader launches attack on minister Eric Pickles
9:30am Saturday 11th February 2012
A GOVERNMENT minister has been labelled “a hypocrite and a bully” by York’s council leader after his department claimed the city had wasted public money.
Aides to Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles singled out City of York Council as an example of unnecessary spending by Labour-controlled authorities following its proposals to raise council tax by 2.9 per cent next year, highlighting a £400,000 bill in 2010/11 for consultants to work on a controversial waste incinerator scheme.
Council leader James Alexander also highlighted that the spending on plans for an incinerator at Allerton Park between York and Harrogate – to be built through a private finance initiative between City of York and North Yorkshire County Councils – happened under the previous Liberal Democrat administration.
He said the scheme would reduce the city’s landfill tax payments by £60 million over a 29-year period.
He also said accepting a Government grant to freeze council tax in 2012/13 would mean an extra £2.2 million in cuts over the next two years or a huge rise in 2013/14 bills, when the tax offer is not expected to be available.
Mr Pickles accused some Labour councils of wasting money on “vanity projects” and being “more interested in filling town hall coffers than freezing council tax”.
Coun Alexander said: “He is a hypocrite and a bully because this council tax con is dishonest and not a good idea for the taxpayers of York.
“The Energy from Waste plant was voted through in York before Labour won control of the council, and the Conservative-controlled county council is picking up 75 per cent of the cost, but Eric Pickles doesn’t mention this.”
A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said it maintained its stance that York’s proposed council tax rise was “incredibly inconsiderate” and it was “hard to see how this can be justified”.
Coun Alexander has also criticised Housing Minister Grant Shapps’ comments in the House of Commons this week that councils planning to raise tax levels in 2012/13 could see their funding base altered the following year.
“The Government seems to want to remove the ability for councils to take local decisions, which I think is disgraceful, because as soon as a local decision is taken against their agenda, they threaten political retribution,” he said.