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Speech by Cllr Jonathan Wallace to Gateshead Council calling for a council tax freeze.
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Council tax in Gateshead is to rise for the first time since 2010 after Labour Councillors turned down cash from the Coalition Government to pay for a tax freeze.
Over the last 4 years, the Council has accepted cash from the Government to freeze council tax bills. This year, ministers offered Gateshead £900,000 to keep council tax at the same level.
Instead, they chose to put up bills by 2%, lumping local residents with a collective bill of £1.4 million. This rise is completely unnecessary. Why? Because over the past two years, Labour have collected £5 million more in taxes than they have spent on services.
That’s £5 million of YOUR MONEY. £5 million that has gone into council reserves rather than being spent on services or going back into your pockets.
Liberal Democrats are the opposition to Labour in Gateshead (there are no councillors for any other parties here). On the Council, Cllr Jonathan Wallace, who is also Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Blaydon and Birtley, argued that council tax should be frozen and the extra money taken from the Government. Labour refused to listen.
“I find Labour’s actions incredible,” said Liberal Democrat candidate for Birtley in the local elections, Sandra McClurey. “They are trying to make a party political point and are doing so at the cost of £1.4 million to local residents. Furthermore, Gateshead has one of the highest council taxes in the country. Raising council tax when the council was offered money to freeze it whilst having £16 million in reserves is inexcusable.”
“I’m left wondering whether Labour actually care about local people,” said Carol Hubbard, Lib Dem candidate for Lamesley ward. “Nationally they claim there is a ‘cost of living crisis’ but locally they simply pile on the costs residents have to pay.”
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Kibblesworth saved from opencast
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Cllr Jonathan Wallace hands in his petition opposing opencast mining in countryside near Kibblesworth and Marley Hill.
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Lib Dem Councillor Jonathan Wallace, who led the battle against opencast mining at Birklands, near Kibblesworth and at Marley Hill, has welcomed news that plans to extract coal from the sites have been abandoned. Though appeals had been expected, time has now run out.
The application at Birklands had been rejected by Gateshead Council after Jonathan, who is also Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for Blaydon and Birtley constituency, led the campaign to have the plans defeated.
Labour Councillor for the area, Christine Bradley, even wrote to Jonathan to thank him for winning the battle. She said, "Congratulations on the fact that your efforts and objection speech won the day and the application was refused."
The Marley Hill application had a different history to it as it was initially approved by Labour Councillors in Gateshead but was then rejected by Durham County Council under whose area part of the site lies.
Both Councils had to approve the plan before it could be put into operation. An appeal had been expected but time has now run out.
“Residents will be breathing a sigh of relief that these plans will no longer be going ahead,” said Jonathan.
“There was considerable anger when Labour in Gateshead approved the plan," said Carol Hubbard, Lib Dem candidate for Lamesley ward. "Thankfully, Durham County Council took a different decision to Gateshead and without agreement by both councils, the Marley Hill plan was rejected and an appeal is no longer possible.”
Jonathan also led the successful campaign against opencast plans at Skons Park, between Whickham and Rowlands Gill.
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The best question of the campaign so far
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Jonathan Wallace, Lib Dem candidate for Blaydon and Birtley, at Lord Lawson School, Birtley.
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