TEMPERS flared during Monday’s meeting of Welwyn Hatfield Councillors to discuss and set the budget for the forthcoming years expenditure in the Borough.

Amid cries of “shame” and “disgusting” from the public, Councillors discussed a long list of cuts to services and spending including the following: * Removal of the Council’s portion to local PCSO funding.

* £179k taken from environmental maintenance such as grass cutting and pavement cleaning.

* The raising of Council rents by 8.41% this year, and again next year.

Presenting the budget to the Council for approval, Cllr Alan Franey, Conservative Executive Member for Resources soberly said that it was a tough time for the Council but also the country meaning government cuts to Council funding meant that savings had to be found.

But Councillor Kieran Thorpe, leading the opposition Labour Party hit back saying it was unfair for the government to shift the burden of the national deficit onto local authorities. Concluding an outspoken speech he said that Conservative Councillors were not “humble or apologetic to what their government is doing to Welwyn Hatfield, they do not understand the fears of the local public, and they are not fit to be standing up for residents at this critical time.

Lib Dem Leader Cllr Tony Skottowe spoke of his fears for the financial future of the Council, pointing to the bleak long term financial outlook predicted by Council Finance Officers. He asked “where is the long term thinking, where is the planning?” and concluded that the Council was “unable to see beyond its own nose”.

Conservative Leader John Dean then weighed in by adding he was “not surprised the opposition were attacking the national government” but added that they “have no ideas of their own”.

Welwyn Hatfield Mayor Carl Storer was forced to threaten to clear the chamber three times in order to restore calm as emotions ran high throughout meeting, and saw members of the public who had held a short demonstration beforehand, trading angry exchanges with Conservative backbench Councillors.

Recording the vote, Mayor Storer announced that the budget had been passed by the 32 Conservative Councillors in attendance and opposed by the 9 Labour Councillors. The 2 Lib Dems had abstained. With a final round of jeers and damnation from the public, the council chamber emptied and people made their way home.

Speaking after the meeting, Hatfield man James Broach 24, said “it was unbelievable. There was a bit of heckling during the leaders speeches, but after that the other Councillors started up and there was uproar”. The opposition Cllrs must have hit a nerve because the sneering responses of the Conservatives really set off the members of the public, it was like they didn’t understand how people would suffer from all these cuts”.