Kent County Council seeks Double Taxation is get them out of Highways Hell

11.33.47am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 21st Apr 2009

A past Chairman of Kent County Council announced this evening, at the New Romney Town meeting, the Conservatives are set to start next year a new Road Repair method. The Conservatives plan to give every County Councillor £25000 to spent on road works in their division.

This scheme, he pointed out, is to have residents who wanted work down in their area to approach their Councillor and 'ask' for it to carried out. The other point, he added as a post script, is that matched funding would be required.

Neil Matthews, the Liberal Democrat Spokesman for Folkestone & Hythe, commented:

"This is terrible state of affairs, I can't believe the County Council would stoop so low as try and conceal their mismanagement of the Highways budget in this way. To get your roads made good they are asking you to pay twice. Once in your County Council tax demand and then again in your District, Parish or Town Council Tax bill."

Neil added:

"Conservative Kent County Council spent £28 million pounds moving their Highways HQ and none of this money went of road repairs. The County Council now has its sights firmly set on acquiring the extra money it now needs to carry out its function from District and Town Council budgets. These are the only bodies likely to have anywhere near the amount of money for the obligatory matched funding element of the road repair cost.

"Kent County Council's Highways record is truly shameful, but in seeking to plunder District, Parish and Town Council budgets to get them out of the black stuff is downright outrageous!"