The Conservative-only cabinet deserves some credit for doing a U-turn and agreeing one of the Lib Dems’ budget proposals that they rejected as recently as the end of February.
They have agreed to invest £150,000 in the installation of photovoltaic solar panels on two buildings at the council’s Shire Hill depot in Saffron Walden.
The Liberal Democrats wanted to invest £400,000 of surplus funds for the installation of photovoltaic panels on council buildings to a reduce energy costs and bring income to the council for improving other services. Last Thursday’s cabinet meeting agreed to spend a total of £300,000 from their Strategic initiatives Fund on three projects including the solar panel scheme. The depot scheme is a start but is not yet ambitious enough.
It’s amazing what effect the Opposition can have on an intransigent Administration when an election is only seven weeks away. Of course, implementation of these projects will be left to a new council in which the Tories are likely to play a smaller part.
Keep poking them, Alan, we might actually get them to look seriously at green issues and cut costs, as opposed to squirrelling money away. I hear the sound of a penny dropping!