STOCKTON BUDGET NEWS

At tonight's budget meeting at Stockton Council, Liberal Democrats, along with Ingleby Barwick and Thornaby Independents and the Tories, proposed changes in the Labour budget. These changes would put money into an out-of-hours noise service, and services dealing with homelessness & domestic violence, stray dogs and wild horses.

Liberal Democrat Leader, Cllr Maureen Rigg said:

" I was dismayed to find that the Labour Group proposals for the budget included slashing money from what was needed to give greater support to such vulnerable people as those threatened with homelessness or domestic violence. Also there is a clear need for a service outside office hours to deal with noise nuisance, especially at weekends. Liberal Democrats believe that these are priority issues".

Savings proposed to meet the cost of these services would be found by postponing, and looking again at plans to alter the way that people contacted the Council, such as bringing in a telephone call centre.

Labour Councillors voted down the Liberal Democrat proposals.