Smoke and mirrors

Got the headache pills handy?    Then take a deep breath and click on the following link:

http://democracy.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=50001283&PlanId=0&Opt=3#AI2910

There, that wasn't too bad was it?

One of my correspondents has this to say about the transfer of over £2M from the Council's reserves.  I have made a few very minor amendments, but the substance is the same.

'For the past five years at least, the Council has been contributing about £200,000 per annum from REVENUE to close the deficit but, what was said at Cabinet, was that they would pay two millions into the Fund but, each year £200,000 would be taken from REVENUE and placed into RESERVES to gradually replace the two Millions taken from Reserves.

Of course that is all smoke and mirrors. As soon as they are confronted by another deficit budget next year and, they have to decide if CT is going up again by 3% or more, the voices will say -  we can close the gap by taking from Reserves to balance the budget ( as they did this year) but, we have a commitment that is minuted, to put £200,000 into Reserves to replace the two millions we took out of reserves last year but, by doing that, the £200,000 we have to put back into Reserves from Revenue is creating or adding to the deficit budget etc . Have you lost the will to live yet???'

Another Laurel and Hardy moment from the Cabinet.  £2M is a lot of anyone's money.  How widely did the Council consult on this proposal in the brave new world of openness and transparency?