Hucknall anger as plan to fix roads and stop council tax rise by scrapping £15m Top Wighay offices project is rejected

Hucknall councillors at Nottinghamshire County Council were left fuming at their Conservative counterparts after the Tory-led authority voted to increase council tax by four per cent and approved controversial plans for £15.7 million new offices at Top Wighay Farm.
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The Independent Alliance at County Hall put forward an alternative plan to the budget debate on February 24 which proposed scrapping the new offices project and using the money to mend roads.

The Alliance said their plan would give each borough and district council an extra £2.1 million each to spend on road repairs.

They also claimed their plan would have saved people £67 a year as it would have avoided the need for the proposed council tax rise to be imposed.

Nottinghamshire County Council has voted to increase council tax by four per cent and go ahead with its plans for £15.7m new offices at Top Wighay FarmNottinghamshire County Council has voted to increase council tax by four per cent and go ahead with its plans for £15.7m new offices at Top Wighay Farm
Nottinghamshire County Council has voted to increase council tax by four per cent and go ahead with its plans for £15.7m new offices at Top Wighay Farm

But the Tory-led council instead voted in favour of increasing council tax by four per cent and to go ahead with building new offices, which Hucknall councillors say the authority does not need.Ironically, this was despite the Ashfield Independents agreeing, in principle, to increase, by the maximum allowed, Ashfield District Council’s council tax charge to Hucknall residents earlier in the week.

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Coun Lee Waters (Ash Ind), who represents Hucknall South, said, “Ask anybody in our county whether they want the Tories to build posh new offices for their senior staff or spend our council tax on fixing broken roads and pavements and we all know the answer – except, that is, the Conservatives.

"We had a fully costed, legal plan that would have delivered exactly what residents want.

"It’s a shame that the Tories voted against it.

“We could have showed the public that the county council actually listens to resident’s concerns.

"Instead, the Conservatives have put party politics before people.”

Coun Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind), leader of the Independent Alliance and leader of Ashfield District Council, added: “The Conservatives faced a choice and they chose a posh new office block instead of the real priorities of local people.

"The Independents promise to fight tooth and nail for every penny to fix our broken highways and deliver what the residents want.

"To vote against a £2.1 million investment in every single borough and district in Nottinghamshire is simply staggering.

"The Conservatives have shown yet again that they’re not willing to listen.”