Council spends £9,000 in a month on a worse service

Local Lib Dems have uncovered that over £9,000 in a month are being spent by the Tories on temps in the council's revenue and benefits department.

Cllr Kathy Newbound, Lib Dem Deputy Group Leader said, "All this money is being spent and the service has got worse. In 2008/9 the average housing benefit/council tax benefit processing time was 13.51 days. On this basis, targets were set at 12 days for 2009/10 and 10.5 days for 2010/11. "

The results for the last quarter of 2009/10 are now in and they show the processing time is 15 days.

Cllr Kathy Newbound added, "We are being told that this is a good result compared to the 21 days in the 3rd quarter of 2009/10. Yet that is not the comparison comparsion to make. The time taken to work out the correct payments is longer now than it was at the end of the last financial year.

"The Conservatives are spending a fortune on temps and the service is worse. This is a case of spending more and getting less value for the taxpayer."