'Don't be fooled by the smoke and mirrors' advise the Liberal Democrats

12.00.00pm GMT Fri 19th Feb 2010

The Liberal Democrat councillor group at Wokingham have been pointing out some of the smaller items in the budget in the Tory 2010/11 budget that have a greater impact on residents than the relatively small sums of money involved might suggest.

Cllr Dee Tomlin (Liberal Democrat Councillor for Twyford ward) said: 'The Conservatives have tried to keep the spotlight on transformation and a relatively low Council Tax increase. When we shone a light into some of the dark corners of the budget, we discovered that the Council will be charging for removal of graffiti for the first time and verges will be mown less often. Some charges to schools for Council services are being increased. And if a loved one dies, the cost of burying their cremated remains will be more than doubled to £559.

'Compared to the figures being bandied about for the savings from transformation, the sums involved are small. But as we saw last year with dog poo bins and the public toilets, small cuts can have an effect on quality of life which is out of all proportion to the money they save.'