| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Proposed closure of Wandsworth Museum | |
| Posted by: | Tony Belton | |
| Date/Time: | 15/01/07 15:54:00 |
| The financial pressures that result in the museum closure. One of Wandsworth's recurring themes is that "it", whatever "it" is, is always someone else's fault. Hence Malcolm Grimston and Edward Lister argue that Government grant is held down and that Council Tax capping is iniquitous and that the two combined are the cause of the Museum closure. Not true. The Museum has always been a facility supplied by the Council, and not specifically funded by Government grant. There is no difference there. What is different is that the political imperative of Wandsworth Council is to have the lowest Council Tax in the country and this means that anything and everything will be sacrificed on that altar UNLESS it is a statutory obligation. It does not take a genius to work out that with Council Tax capping set at 5% then any Council, which freezes Council Tax for the last three years is running over time into a bigger and bigger brick wall. In its failure to raise Council Tax even in line with inflation it has foregone both raising its Coucil Tax base and ensuring some level of financial security. I fear that these will not be the only cuts we face as a result of Wandsworth's financial incompetence. |