Most of the Council Tax paid by Essex residents is spent by Essex County Council, which is led by a 50-strong group of Conservative councillors. Those 50 councillors all receive a substantial basic allowance for the work that they do.
With many people struggling to make ends meet in the current recession, it's time for Essex taxpayers to have some of their money back. That is the view of Liberal Democrats at Essex County Council, who asked the council to release some of its £200 million reserves back into local people's pockets.
Essex County Council has spent millions of pounds on road maintenance, yet less than half of local residents are satisfied with the speed at which potholes are fixed.
The Liberal Democrats have condemned Essex County Council's "Transformation" project, which aims to privatise the delivery of most County Council services. They have stated that the council should be looking at ways of protecting and enhancing good quality, value-for-money services to the public.
Residents receiving meals-on-wheels in Essex are now paying a whopping £24.50 a week for their lunches. The Conservatives who run Essex County Council have nearly doubled the price of a meal over the 8 years that they have been
80% of those replying to Ann Haigh's recent survey said that the Conservative run county council was wrong to put £18 million of their money into the county's bank account.
