CITY OF PRESTON LABOUR PARTY

A Conservative Councillor in Preston has attacked his own party leadership...for not imposing higher cremation fees at the council owned crematorium!

Councillor Tom Davies ( Preston Rural East) told Cabinet Member for Resources Eric Fazackerley that he was to blame for not maximising council revenue on the service, despite massive hikes in fees since the Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition took control in 2007.

The attack took place at a meeting of Preston Council's Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee on Friday 11th June where Councillor Fazackerley was warning of dire budget cuts to local government funding by the coalition in Westminster, including a third of a million pounds already snatched from a fund designed to tackle long term unemployment in Preston.

Labour finance spokesman Councillor Martyn Rawlinson was stunned at the exchange;
"The Tories and Lib-Dems want to remove all subsidies from council services without lowering council tax - they can't have it both ways. Council taxpayers are getting less and less for their money under the coalition as vital services are cut to the bone and taxes, fees and charges continue to rise. It can't go on."

The Labour Party in Preston have opposed all new and increased fees for council services like burials and cremations, replacement wheelie bins and bulky waste collection while the coalition have refused to freeze chief officers' pay or charge staff for parking on taxpayers property.