That this House notes that the honourable Member for Castle Point has not added his name to Early Day Motion 375, 'Comparison between Conservative and Labour Councils'; wonders if this has anything to do with the unexplained ??2.2 million deficit in the finances of Conservative controlled Castle Point Council which culminated in major job losses, a savage cut in the Council's services, together with a major hike in the Council tax for 1993-94; recalls that in the debate on the Capping Order on 9th June 1993 the Minister for Local Government and Planning blamed the Treasurer without any further amplification as to the Conservative Council's financial crisis; considers that this is wholly consistent with the Conservative's strategy generally, namely, whenever anything goes wrong be sure to immediately blame someone else; further asks the question how, if the Minister was correct in his unsubstantiated accusation of the Treasurer, it was possible for this public official to subsequently obtain a highly paid finance post in the National Health Service; and invites the honourable Member for Castle Point to call for a public enquiry into the stewardship of his Council's finances followed by a full disclosure as to who was really to blame.

That this House notes that the honourable Member for Castle Point has not added his name to Early Day Motion 375, 'Comparison between Conservative and Labour Councils'; wonders if this has anything to do with the unexplained ??2.2 million deficit in the finances of Conservative controlled Castle Point Council which...