We regret that Slough Labour have resorted to personal attacks against our candidates on social media and that they have made false claims in their elections material that we have lied about the Labour Party during the campaign. We have not and would not resort to these tactics. We are committed to positive and truthful campaigning. Integrity is at the heart of our campaign and at the heart of our local plan for Slough.
Labour is claiming we have lied to you and they have highlighted “5 Tory lies.” Here is our response to these myths:
Lie 1: “The Council has put your Council Tax up by 12%”
We have NEVER made this claim. There is nothing that Slough Conservative Association or the Conservative Group on the Council have produced that makes this claim. Labour must produce evidence that we have made this claim or retract it.
However, we have highlighted that Council Tax has increased this year by 10% - the highest rise on Berkshire and one of only three Councils throughout the UK to impose a rise of this scale.
Lie 2: “The Council will turn off street lights at night”
This is not a lie.
Within the Council’s proposed savings for 2023-24 it clearly states that the Council plans to “Switch off streetlighting and park lighting after midnight”. The Council’s own assessment of this proposal has identified that the elderly, women and those with visual impairments will all be negatively impacted.
This follows on from the Council’s trial of dimming streetlights across the Borough in five trial areas; Rochford Gardens and Goodman Park estates; Maplin Park; Colnbrook; Part of Cippenham Green and Northern Part of Britwell.
Source: Appendix E- Equalities Impact Assessment 23/24 Source: Proposed Savings by Directorate 2023/24.
Lie 3: “The Council is selling off the cemetery/crematorium”
Again, this is not a lie.
The Council’s Asset Disposal Pipeline clearly states that in 2024/25 it intends to sell the following asset: “Crematorium Building, Stoke Road + inc Cemetery”. The asset has been ‘declared surplus’ by the Council and that Q3 of 24/25 is the estimated completion date.
Source: Asset Disposal Pipeline
Lie 4: “The Council will be selling all its assets, including community centres and libraries.”
Sadly, this is not a lie.
The Asset Disposals Pipeline, which was approved by Slough Council’s Labour Cabinet in December 2022 (and which can be downloaded via the link at the bottom of this page and is on the SBC website) clearly says that the Council plan to offer for sale the Slough cemetery /Crematorium and our Libraries and Community Centres (all of them, plus a lot more over the next 4 years).
Labour oversaw a reckless policy of increasing borrowing to over £750 million, in order to pursue an over-ambitious asset purchasing programme. These assets are now significantly underperforming- with a negative rate of turn of -4.14% and a loan to value of 102%. Taxpayers money, wasted! The Council is now pursuing an asset disposal programme, based on it’s disposal pipeline which lists community centres and libraries as being considered for sale.
Lie 5: “Residents are paying for Labour’s failures.”
We wish this was a lie, but it is not.
Inflation was not caused by Liz Truss crashing the economy, as Labour claim. It has been caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and by the lasting effects of the pandemic. Inflation is affecting all major economic – many more severely than the UK.
Slough is the only Council in Berkshire to be putting up Council Tax by 10% this year. Average Council Tax for a Band D property in Slough this year is £2,023 while in neighbouring Windsor it is nearly £500 less at £1,593. Earlier this month Slough Labour Tweeted a graph of Council Tax rates in Berkshire in a disingenuous attempt to show that Slough Council tax is the lowest in Berkshire. They omitted Windsor from the graph in the graphic and they shaded Reading, the highest in Berkshire, in grey even though Reading is Labour controlled.
Source: Both are from the Council Tax guides from RBWM and SBC
Residents are "paying for Labour's failures" through above inflation increases in SBC fees and charges, along with new chargeable services like green waste collection (which used to be free). The shift this June to fortnightly bin collections of general waste and recycling are other examples of what we call "Labour's pay more to get less" policies.
Labour’s Budget has not only imposed a 9.99% Council Tax increase on residents, but will also gain an additional £1 million from fees and charges in 2023/24. The Council’s own Budget papers show that the Council’s pay inflation will be 4.8%, significantly lower than the Council Tax increase. While Labour raise your taxes, and increase fees and charges they are cutting vital services such as our Children’s Day Centres and moving to bi-weekly bin collections. The Council’s external auditor issued a “disclaimer” opinion on Slough Borough Council’s accounts- an unprecedented failure. Its clear that Slough residents are paying the price of Labour’s failures.