Sefton Conservatives have criticised Labour plans to increase Council Tax by almost 5% for residents across the borough.

A draft budget summary has been published by Sefton Council with the final budget, likely to include the proposed tax increase at the budget meeting, at the start of next month.

Conservative group leader, Mike, Prendergast, said, “It is hugely disappointing that Labour are planning to increase Council Tax by the maximum amount when other councils up and down the country are either freezing Council Tax or limiting any increase.

The information we have seen so far indicates a £17 million overspend in Children’s Services in Sefton. This is by far the largest departmental overspend in the borough’s history and it all comes as a result of Labour’s poor management of such a vital department over the last 10 years.

When Labour took control of the Council, the department had an adequate rating. A decade on, it has the worst possible rating from the regulator and a government commissioner has been sent in. The Chief Executive of the Council is leaving and the new head of department is off after barely a year in the role.

This is in stark contrast to nearby councils, like Lancashire, that has just been given a good rating by OFSTED for its Children’s Services Department.

The inadequate OFSTED rating for Sefton has exacerbated the problems we already faced and now we are having to play catch up from a very weak position. 

Now, residents are going to have to pay more tax to pay for Labour’s mistakes. 

Children and residents across Sefton deserve much better than they are getting from Labour at the moment.”