Call this a "Golden Legacy"?

At tonight's District Council Cabinet meeting, report number C/03/26 will shatter Cllr Rory Love's claims that the Tory administration left Council finances in a healthy state.

The report lists several key projects that are expected to come in over-budget. The overspend amounts to a massive £555,000.

Leader of Shepway District Council, Linda Cufley, said "Rory Love told the people of Shepway that the Conservatives had left "a golden legacy" when he described the Council's finances. This could not be further from the truth. This report highlights a shocking level of financial mismanagement. The Tories gave the go-ahead to projects that there simply wasn't money for, and delayed making decisions they thought would lose them votes.

"In the run-up to the election the Tories gave the go-ahead to building a skate park in Folkestone at the cost of £20,000. This money is not in the budget and never was.

"They have treated the people of Shepway with utter contempt. It is not good enough to say "we would have found the money somehow". The reality is that the money is not there to pay for the things they promised.

"We knew when we took control that the budget didn't add up - that's why we didn't vote for it, and tried to throw it out. This new report makes it clear that the Conservatives' time in charge of Shepway was nothing more than a string of broken promises that they never intended to keep."

Ends

Notes to Editors:

The following projects are predicted to overspend, as listed in the report, by the following amounts:

Treasury Management - £200,000

Rent Allowances (net of subsidy) - £150,000

Car Park Income Deficit - £80,000

Highways Deficit - £75,000

Local Plan Inquiry - £50,000

The District Council Cabinet meeting that will discuss this report will meet on Tuesday 29th July.