WALTHAM FOREST: Cabinet slammed for budget blunder (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WALTHAM FOREST: Cabinet slammed for budget blunder

2:45pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in Waltham Forest News By Daniel Binns

THE competence of the council's leadership has been called into question after leading councillors accidentally approved the wrong set of figures in a budget.

It has emerged that they rubber-stamped documents that were supposed to detail new charges for renting community rooms and sport pitches in the next financial year – but failed to notice that one page mistakenly listed current fees.

Opposition Liberal Democrats politicians discovered the error, which was made at a meeting in November.

Party leader Cllr Bob Sullivan said it had taken “months” to establish what had happened and for the Labour-run authority to disclose the real figures, which are now set to be approved later this month instead.

He added: “I am appalled that something like this has been approved by the Labour cabinet without even the slightest glance at the figures.

“If Liberal Democrats hadn’t noticed this and chased it up with officers, residents in Leyton and elsewhere would have been faced with confusion over services, or even worse another large hike in fees.

“Labour councillors...aren’t doing due diligence in important areas.”

Cllr Afzal Akram, cabinet member for corporate resources, business and employment, said the revised fees budget would be presented to the cabinet on February 21, and the full council on March 1 for approval.

He added: “It is important to note that while unfortunate, this caused no delay in the implementation of the new fees and charges.”

New charges include slight rises in the hourly cost of renting facilities like the lower hall of Pastures Youth Centre from £18 to £19, and an increase from £20 to £24 per two hour session on the floodlit grass area of Leyton Youth Centre.

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