Caradon councillors have voted to look again at ways of saving money other than by axing four jobs and the South East Cornwall holiday guide after a special meeting was once again targeted by protesting union members. Councillors also agreed to support a 4.9 per cent rise in the council tax (£7.26 for a Band D property) proposed by leader Ron Overd. A figure of £112,600 in cuts suggested at the previous budget meeting, was reduced to £79,400 because of additional savings and by dipping into reserves. Members of UNISON, who packed the public gallery to hear the debate after their protest ended on Wednesday evening, were 'very relieved' when councillors decided to go back to square one. The meeting agreed to rescind decisions taken at their previous meeting which involved scrapping the jobs and the 85,000 circulation tourist guide because the voting system had been invalid. The £1 million Looe Heritage Regeneration scheme was also considered to be under threat. Councillor Brian Galipeau put forward the crucial amendment which gave members the chance to think again about spreading cuts across the board instead of concentrating on tourism marketing and conservation and projects. He proposed that a panel should be set up to look again at other ways of cutting the budget, and this was carried by 26 votes to 12. The panel, chaired by Ron Overd, will examine the economy and efficiency of every department in the search for solutions. After the meeting union official Dot Lemon said she believed the general feeling had been in favour of keeping the jobs, and saving the tourist guide. She said that UNISON members hoped to play a part in the economy decision making that was about to start, particularly as they were so close to the situation. She added that councillors had recognised that savings could be made 'across the board' and not simply by cutting four jobs and the tourist guide. The South West Regional Officer for UNISON, Stuart Roden, had earlier been allowed three minutes to address the meeting. He had been concerned that the job losses had been aimed at particular posts within the council held by his members. He also believed that information given by chief executive Byron Davies had been 'misleading'. An earlier proposal by Councillor Roger Jones that the council tax should rise by only 4 per cent was defeated. He said the council was making decisions that would affect the lives of many people in a 'panic' when the situation should be more carefully considered. Council chairman Councillor Kath Pascoe said yesterday that she hoped that the new panel would be swiftly set up, and quickly reach decisions. Peter Bishop, the press officer for the South East Cornwall Tourism Association, said that his members were delighted that councillors had acknowledged just how important the industry was to South East Cornwall. The Conservative party candidate for South East Cornwall, Ashley Gray, said it was 'utterly absurd' that a Cornish district council should have found itself in a position where it had been in danger of undermining a key pillar in the area's fragile economy.
