Conservatives admit NCC has run out of cash

Only days ahead of the end of the financial year Conservative run Northamptonshire County Council has admitted it’s run out of money. Similar sized local councils are said to hold reserves of over £500m, NCC has less than £17m. Two government civil servants are taking over control of NCC’s finances, and will oversee how other key decisions are scrutinised. It’s also been revealed that local tax payers will have to pay for the salaries and expenses of these civil servants.

Liberal Democrat Leader at South Northants Council, Councillor Chris Lofts says: “Liberal Democrats have been saying for years that the Conservatives were steering the council towards disaster, but they weren’t listening. To try to balance next year’s books the Tories say they must spend every penny of NCC’s financial reserves. In doing this, they will have to try building new reserves and the only way of achieving this is to make yet more cuts to services. Local residents are being punished again because of the mismanagement of their council by the failed Conservatives.”

Councillor Chris Lofts adds: “Even this Conservative Government has lost patience with local Tories and are sending civil servants to run NCC’s finances. To add insult to injury it is local council tax payers who will pick up the bill for civil servant salaries. Once again when Tories fail it is communities that suffer.”

Lib Dems have campaigned against the Tories cuts to bus services

Commentating Liberal Democrat Councillor Martin Johns says: “The Conservatives had been in the last chance saloon for some time and must now spend all that was left of council taxpayers’ reserves. It’s a scandal that our county council and the local services many people rely on has been destroyed by such incompetence. My concern now is that many more local services will be run down or closed all together in the months to come.”

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