Wokingham Lib Dems probe Tory Overspend
November 14, 2003 12:00 AM
Wokingham Liberal Democrats have discovered that the Tory claim that Wokingham District Council has underspent its budget by £500,000 is "creative accounting". Last year's budget was in fact overspent by at least £1.3 million.
The discovery was made at Wokingham Council's Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting on Tuesday 11th November, when senior officers were questioned about the budget. Councillor Tina Marinos (Lib Dem Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee) said, "This discrepancy arose because of the way the accounts have been presented to us. We quickly worked out that extra spending during the year had been left out. We now know that the Tory budget was overspent by at least £1.3 million.
"Social Services and Education are the biggest spenders. The Overview & Scrutiny Committee have recommended that the Tory Executive work with other local authorities in these areas to share knowledge and expertise, and we've also asked that the Executive monitor the effectiveness of financial training to make sure that the budget is controlled properly."
The Overview & Scrutiny Committee will meet again on Wednesday 17th December to investigate the Tory budget overspend more thoroughly.
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