Have the St Neots Conservative Councillors got one over SNTC?

I see the Conservative Councillors are claiming victory over the Liberal Democrats the taking on the toilets. On the St Neots Community Forum Cllr Barry Chapman said quite a few things about SNTC taking on the public toilets. He said:

"At the beginning of the meeting Cllr Barnes of Eynesbury Hardwicke Parish Council reminded Town Cllr's that money previously collected from Eynesbury Hardwicke residents could be made available to St Neots Town Council when EH becomes part of St Neots in April. This money could pay for cleaning the Tebbutts Road and Riverside toilets for the next two years."

Further Barry Chapman went on:

"When we got to the toilets item Cllr Thorpe proposed that only one toilet in Riverside be kept open and Tebbutts Road should be shut. The matter was then thoroughly discussed and Cllr's were reminded of the possible help offered to St Neots Town Council by Eynesbury Hardwicke Parish Council."

It is obvious that Cllr Barry Chapman thought it possible the £15,000 from Eynesbury Hardwicke could be used to pay for cleaning of the toilets for a couple of years. All well and good then? Well not really. The word could has been used much. Using this money for this purpose also goes against St Neots Conservative Councillors Group policy. 

When the 2010/11 budget was discussed, the Conservatives argued for the money from the annexed areas should be used exclusively in the annexed areas. I suddenly realised that having argued for money from the former Eynesbury Hardwicke should be exclusively used on that area I find the Conservatives now using EHPC money on a St Neots service. This is against what the Conservative argued against a couple of months earlier.

After I asserted the Conservatives had changed policy I got this reply from Cllr Ursell:

"The St Neots Conservative Councillors Group (SNCCG) have not changed policy and we did not, by proposing and seconding the motion to take on the running of two toilets, accept that money from Eynesbury Hardwicke Parish Council would be earmarked for cleaning the toilets. We know full well that it is not for Cllr Barnes to specify where monies that might come from Eynesbury Hardwicke Parish Council once Eynesbury Hardwicke Parish Council ceases to exist would be spent. The money may not even come to the town council, it couild be retained by the district council to be spent by them in Eynesbury Hardwicke. Finally as an Eynesbury Hardwicke Parish Councillor I did not vote on where the money should be spent."

So Cllr Ursell states "...we did not accept that money from EHPC would be earmarked for cleaning toilets." With Cllr Chapman stating in his piece twice about money from EHPC could be used I gained the strong impression that this was the case. Cllr Ursell has decided this doesn't count.

With Cllr Chapman saying "Cllr Barnes of Eynesbury Hardwicke Parish Council reminded Town Cllr's that money previously collected from Eynesbury Hardwicke residents could be made available to St Neots Town Council when EH becomes part of St Neots in April.."


If this was stated at the Town Council meeting and Cllr Ursell knew this was not true then Cllr Ursell should have informed the Town Council of this. Otherwise the Town Council is not taking a proper decision.

No doubt the St Neots Conservative Councillor Group are happy with themselves in getting the Liberal Democrats to impose a Conservative Stealth Tax on the Council Taxpayers of St Neots.