CONSERVATIVE TEAM CONTACT YOUR Join us News Update from SEE BACK PAGE today St Neots Conservatives Help us win elections Get the latest from inside the Party Spring 2019 Choose the candidates who’ll stand in elections Influence Party policy Connect with local Conservatives Or even stand for election yourself Find out more at www.hcca.co.uk/join ST NEOTS TOWN COUNCIL Find out more at https://www.hcca.org.uk/join GOING BROKE? LET US KNOW WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU 17.7% Less money for the community as St Neots increase to St Neots council HOW TO Take just two Post the results to Centenary House, St Mary’s Independents force service cuts and tax increases tax in 2019 COMPLETE 1 minutes to add 2 Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3PE St Neots Town Council has last set Town Council tax levels. THIS SURVEY in your views OR Send a screenshot/picture/snip to announced the town’s reserves have The Independents have also agreed and details* [email protected] reached a dangerously low level thousands of pounds in cuts. following budget discussions in + 66% Name Address January. This includes slashing spending on council tax hike under Independent : : public events such as the St Neots Phone: The council’s budget determines its Christmas Lights switch-on event as controlled council share of the council tax charge for the Mobile: well as a £12,000 reduction in the next financial year. grass cutting budget. Email: At a full council meeting in December, A vast majority of Independents voted Which of these following issues are you Are there any local issues or concerns Independent Councillors proposed in favour of the increase. 9x 1 most concerned about? 3 you would like to raise? an eye-watering 35.4% council tax more than the current level rise, passing the cost of four years St Neots Independents have now of UK inflation Please tick any which applicable of financial mismanagement on to wasted tens of thousands in public Planning and development residents. money on questionable ‘vanity projects’. The Council has squandered nearly all Social services and care At a further extraordinary meeting of St Neots Town Council in January, its savings and now only has almost Affordable housing Councillors eventually settled on a half of what the National Association of £12,000 Local Councils recommends it should removed from town grass Supporting local shops & businesses 17.7% rise, almost nine times the rate of inflation. have in reserve. In dire circumstances, cutting budget Keeping Council Tax low this could see the council go broke in Transport and congestion Which two of these Conservative District Residents are now paying £50.00 more less than three months. 4 commitments are most important to you? (per Band D Property) than they were in 2015, when St Neots Conservatives CONTINUES OVER PAGE How satisfied are you with how the Sustainable growth Providing modern parking facilities 2 Independents are running St Neots Town Investing in local leisure services Protecting our green Council spaces HDC CONSERVATIVES INVESTING IN ST NEOTS < Very Dissatisfied Very Satisfied > Keeping Council Tax affordable Running an efficient 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 District Council Carparks such as Riverside At the District Council, the our local car parks by introducing will benefit from the new Conservative strategy Conservative group has always cashless parking, upgraded electrical *Your data will be used by HCCA as part of our democratic engagement with electors. Where necessary, your data will be shared with Conservative Party Headquarters, our candidates and elected representatives. It will not be given or sold to anyone else. For more information please see our privacy notice available at hcca.org.uk/privacy recognised the unique importance of charging points and a ‘Pay for St Neots as our largest town. That’s What You Use’, system, which will YOUR CONSERVATIVE TEAM FOR ST NEOTS & LITTLE PAXTON why it continues to be the area which reduce the amount of overpayment receives the largest amount of HDC by customers and ensure value for Cllr David Wells Cllr Keith Prentice funding. money by charging a parking fee District & County Councillor District Councillor relating more closely to the actual CALL 01480 211629 CALL 01480 214838 However, St Neots is now due time elapsed on departure. EMAIL David.Wells@ EMAIL Keith.Prentice@ to receive even more additional huntingdonshire.gov.uk huntingdonshire.gov.uk investment as the town is set to This is not just about thousands of benefit from a new Car Parking pounds of additional investment. St Cllr Dr Philip Gaskin Cllr Julie Wisson Neots Conservatives are listening Strategy, building on a Conservative District Councillor County Councillor and responding to local needs as CALL 01480 535755 CALL 01480 214838 manifesto promise to support and EMAIL Julie.Wisson@ a community, and fighting to keep EMAIL Philip.Gaskin@ encourage retail in our town centres. services and businesses in our town huntingdonshire.gov.uk cambridgeshire.gov.uk The council is proposing to modernise centre. Caring and Campaigning for our Community Caring and Campaigning for our Community Promoted by Adam Roberts, on behalf of Huntingdon Constituency Conservative Association both of Centenary House, St Mary’s St, Huntingdon PE29 3PE Find out more at www.hcca.org.uk Printed by XlPress, Alington Road, St. Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 6WE. News from St Neots Conservatives News from St Neots Conservatives WHERE HAS ALL OUR MONEY GONE? Leading Independents have admitted that this tax hike must take responsibility for this and not just by demanding Based on HDC Council Tax data published COUNCILLORS MISSING? would hit the most vulnerable, with one warning his fellow more council tax, but by showing real leadership and taking 2012-2019. Final figure councillors that “There will be no magic money fairy and if the difficult decisions to get us back on an even keel. It must for 2019. As their elected representatives consistently fail to we don’t control the budget we are in danger of running out be remembered that the money the council spends isn’t Figures in chart rounded to nearest £1.00 £137 attend Town and District Council meetings, are residents of money.” (Hunts Post, 9 January 2019) their money, it is our money and we don’t want it wasted.” being left uninformed and underrepresented? Documents circulated as part of the agenda for the (Hunts Post, 9 January 2019) At one meeting of the full Town Council, eight extraordinary meeting It is clear that St Neots cannot afford to keep Independent members failed to show up, despite such show that an increase paying the price for this failed subjects as Neighborhood Plan amendments, the Town of almost half a million administration. £116 Council’s investment strategy and the compulsory pounds (£458,785.80) purchase of town buildings (at taxpayer expense) all Meanwhile, your Conservative £111 was considered. District Councillors have being on the agenda for discussion. According to the Hunts ensured a balanced budget, £109 At District Council level, where the Independent group Post, one member with any council tax changes remains the current official opposition, the group of the public present double locked to keep them leader - a councillor from St Neots - failed to show up to Greens such as Eaton Ford’s during the meeting below any rise in either wages more than 40% of his meetings since the election (HDC may see the brunt of grass told the assembled or pensions to ensure it is attendance record, figures correct as of 30 January). He has now been cutting reductions Independents: “You affordable. replaced as Leader of the Opposition. If these St Neots councillors cannot find time for their constituents, how can they be expected to take the Tax levels set by tough decisions neccessary to save St Neots from a financial black hole of their own creation. St Neots £84 £84 £84 Conservatives £82 A member of the public stood up to speak Tax levels set by St Neots at the meeting and accused the council of Independents failing to show “real leadership”. Green spaces and town centre events FROM THE HUNTS POST, 9 JANUARY 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 will be hit by the effect of cuts the current owner choose to develop the site themselves, OUSE MEADOW: THE FACTS ACV status only allows the residents of St Neots a six month CONSERVATIVES PROTECTING OUR BOBBIES Following a misleading report in the Hunts Post concerning window to raise funds to potentially purchase the site; a AND KEEPING THEM ON THE STREETS the potential development of Ouse Meadow, we wanted to purchase the owner can still reject. set the record straight and put residents’ minds at ease. In Cambridgeshire police will have increased the number of Furthermore, the Commissioner has committed to ensuring short, the facts are: Given that the Town Council is now woefully short of funding, any funds would again come out of residents’ pockets. bobbies on the beat for the first time since 2005. that St Neots maintains an active police station and its own 1. The Meadow has never been subject to any protection community policing team, which currently provides the town 3. Far from being earmarked for development, the Meadow is Thanks to the hard work and responsible financial from development, and therefore has not been stripped of with support from Police in fact already going through a process which could deliver management of Jason Ablewhite, Conservative Police and any protected status. Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Constables and PCSOs protection from development via being registered as a on top of standard 2.