Astonished about town council's budget confusion (From Northwich Guardian)

Astonished about Northwich Town Council's budget confusion

7:50am Wednesday 25th January 2012 in Your Letters

I READ in the Guardian, January 11, the article ‘Budget confusion delays tax decision’, with complete astonishment.

The regular antics of Northwich Town Council would be funny if more than £600,000 of public money wasn’t in the hands of these people.

The council’s chief executive claims he increased the precept because of the purchase of a tractor. With even my elementary knowledge of local council finance, I know that the precept is the amount of council tax collected on behalf of the council.

No matter what happens in the year, it is fixed. How can you add an item of expenditure to it and make it look like your income is higher than it really is?

According to the council’s website, the town council overspent by almost £20k last year and from the Guardian’s report it looks as though it has overspent again, but the amount is being kept from councillors, let alone the people who pay it.

Surely there must be a regulatory body who can step in on behalf of local tax payers to look at this mess?

How can we expect anyone to invest in our town when it’s run by these people?

ROBERTSON KING