It)AA1 Our rates
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PUBLIC SPENDING is a subject which touches the heart and pocket of every household and business in the country. The Government has declared commitment to curb expenditure in the public sector and it has • been a much aired and emotive topic during the past 12 months.
Opposition to the policy has come from councillors almost always on the basis that the public will suffer. The public already does with annual rates increases the order of the day each May. We have come to expect, but not to accept, 20 per cent rises.
The official view of the alternative is a cut in service, but this need not be the case. If capital expenditure increases the efficiency of a business — and local government is our business — and reduces revenue expenditure then it must receive serious consideration.
Council officers know this but too often have to suppress their technical expertise under the weight of elected members' dictates. The ISWM exhibition is a place where all local government servants concerned should take their committee chairman.
The vehicle and equipment manufacturers show that they can improve efficiency. By applying the methods and using the equipment they have developed, improved efficiency will result. Inevitably, expenditure will be stabilised and that is what the aim must be.