Bedford Borough Council’s Conservative administration has cited an independent report to argue that council tax was not raised enough under the Liberal Democrats, despite having opposed tax increases while in opposition.
The comments follow the leak of a report by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), which the Conservatives say reveals the full extent of what they describe as the previous administration’s “financial failure.”
“It is only through CIPFA’s independent and expert analysis that the full extent of the Liberal Democrats’ financial failure was exposed,” a Conservative spokesperson said.
“Had they been transparent about the true state of the council’s finances, about the millions lost to failed property deals like the Paddington Pub, runaway agency staffing costs, and poorly managed capital projects such as Cotton End School, then we could have had a serious, grown-up conversation about council tax and the choices facing the borough.”
“The scale of the damage was completely hidden, with everyone outside of the Lib Dem administration, including borough residents, kept in the dark.
“We opposed council tax rises because we saw a Lib Dem Council that was delivering poor results. Raising council tax under those conditions would have been asking residents to pay more for less, and we weren’t willing to support that.”
They added that now they are in administration, and have been “presented with the facts” they are “doing what needs to be done” with regards to the council’s financial future.
“This isn’t about changing positions, it’s about changing circumstances,” they said.
The Conservatives repeatedly criticised former Liberal Democrat Mayor, Dave Hodgson’s council tax increases while in opposition.
In February 2022, they tried to block a 3.99 percent rise by trying to amend the budget to freeze council tax entirely.
Now in power, they say the situation is different.
“It is perfectly reasonable to change opinions as time moves on and new evidence comes to light,” the spokesperson said.
The draft CIPFA review said the council’s financial position is unsustainable and called for a shift from short-term fixes to long-term financial planning. The Conservatives have not ruled out further council tax rises next year, though no decision has been made.
“There will undoubtedly be difficult decisions ahead that include the possibility of raising council tax,” the spokesperson said.
“Our priority remains to safeguard essential services, protect the most vulnerable, and put the council back on a path to long-term financial resilience.”
“A huge re-writing of history”
But the Liberal Democrats have accused the Conservatives of trying to rewrite history, and say the council tax levels were appropriate given the pressures of austerity and the pandemic.
Cllr Michael Headley, deputy Lib Dem group leader and finance spokesperson, said: “Under the Liberal Democrats, council tax levels were kept under control, budgets were balanced and frontline services protected despite years of government austerity cuts and a pandemic.
“The Conservatives are having to do a huge rewriting of history to try and portray that as a bad thing.
“At the time, Conservatives only ever called for lower council tax, which would have unbalanced the budgets. Maybe everyone should have seen clearly then the tendency towards irresponsible actions and a disregard for balanced budgets.”
“The Conservatives, in their recent conversion to high council tax increases, need to remember that these are big bills faced by local residents. They are not a cash cow for the council and the mayor’s pet projects.
He added: “Now this is all clear to see – with this year’s budget having a £10 million hole in it.
“This is nothing to do with council tax levels set a decade or so ago, it’s about going on an irresponsible spending spree over the last two years, pushing up costs beyond what can be afforded.”
“Council tax here is around the average level for unitary councils. If the Conservatives can’t manage with a level similar to many other councils, it says a lot more about them than it does about the level of council tax,” Cllr Headley said.
The Conservative spokesperson said: “The CIPFA report has made it clear that the Council must shift from short-term fixes to long-term financial planning, and that is exactly what we’re doing.
“Every decision on tax and spending will now be made within the framework of the Stability Plan 2025–2030, which is built on the recommendations of CIPFA and renowned local Government expert, Theresa Grant OBE.
“We’ve also strengthened financial oversight across the council and are improving governance measures to make sure spending aligns with the council’s financial capacity and priorities.”
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
