Public entitled to transparency

Referring to East Sussex County Council, David Tutt in last week’s Herald, described their finances as being ‘in a real mess’.

This will hardly have pleased Eastbourne readers who have for some considerable time suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous reductions and / or curtailment of services.

Despite this, he went on to say ‘the only solution we’ve got is to cut services and put the begging bowl out to government’.

Naturally, he did not make reference to the complicity of the Eastbourne Borough Council in causing further financial problems as a result of grandiose schemes and failure in securing proper fixed price contracts with developers.

The general excuse for items under these headings is that they are ‘capital payments’ and nothing to do with annual revenue.

This does not hold water.

It is tantamount to buying a car or furniture at 0% interest for three years and closing ones eyes as to what will happen then.

Should one take the comparable of a private or public limited company failing to control its finances, incurring expenditure beyond its means and becoming excessively liable under fixed price contracts and then turning to their bankers to rescue them, then I have no doubt as to the expletive response they would receive.

Those responsible should have the decency to resign forthwith and allow future financial affairs to be conducted by qualified business management consultants who would have the expertise required.

In the meantime, the Eastbourne public is entitled to have:-

1. A copy of the latest audited accounts of ESCC.

2. Detailed statements of the salaries, fees, payments in kind and expenses incurred by all councillors.