At tonight's meeting of Full Council (13th February 2020), the Basildon Borough Conservatives will be presenting their Alternative Budget.

Councillor Stuart Sullivan, Conservatives Spokesman for Resources, will propose:

• A 2% CUT in Council Tax, lightening the tax burden on hard working families within our borough.
• £50,000 to undertake a borough-wide review of Parking and a much needed £3 million investment in Parking Provision.
• £50,000 to fund the VE/VJ DAY 75th anniversary commemorations.
• A £2 million Infrastructure First Fund, ensuring housing development is coupled with adequate services to cater for both them and for existing residents.
• An £850,000 High Streets & Neighbourhoods Fund for public realm improvements around the borough.
• A £500,000 investment in our Community Halls borough-wide, giving our community groups improved facilities in which to host events and community meetings.

Basildon Conservatives reject the punitive rent increase of 2.7% placed on social tenants by the Labour and Independent administration, in favour of a more modest increase of 1.7% (limited to CPI). We further reject their proposal to spend half a million pounds on the Council Leader's unitary authority ego trip. We will look objectively at the best governance arrangements to deliver for Basildon residents (at a cost of no more than £100K). 

The Leader of Basildon Conservatives, Councillor Andrew Baggott, said:

"We are proposing a budget that addresses residents' priorities. Last year, when we were in administration, residents told us their priority was crime and disorder, and we invested money in extra policing and enforcement. This year, the priority should be investing in infrastructure and improving our community facilities, not channelling taxpayers' money into naval-gazing exercises looking at our own governance arrangements. That is the wrong priority for residents."

Basildon Borough Conservatives, unlike Labour when they were in Opposition, have always produced a fully-costed Alternative Budget. The budget being moved this evening by Councillor Sullivan has been examined and signed off by the Council's Section 151 Officer as financially sustainable for the council.

The full budget documents can be viewed in PDF format by downloading the files attached to this report.