Letter: Where does all our cash get spent?

At the last cabinet meeting Cllr Nock stated that the Â£10k court costs was still owed by the Save the Futurist group to the council. To emphasize the size of this amount he said that it was '˜equivalent to the net Council Tax for 36 Band D properties and we should have that money to provide essential services.' Cllr Mallory said she was disappointed.

This pearl of cabinet wisdom made me think, what if you applied this formula to more significant council losses/expenditure?

On the basis of Band D properties net council tax:

•14,400 = £4m for the demolition of the Futurist.

•18,000 = £5m spent on the Open Air Theatre.

•360 to 720 = £100k to £200k every year for the Open Air Theatre subsidy.

•14,400 = £4m spent on the Stephen Joseph Theatre.

•421 needed to subsidise the Stephen Joseph Theatre to the tune of £117k every year.

•1,800 = £500k for the demolition the Indoor Pool.

•And a whopping 32.400 = £9m unsecured loan/investment to Benchmark for the Waterpark.

Now this makes the 36 Band D net council tax look a tad pale in comparison, yet the ruling party (reading from a script) continue to roll out this £10k at every available opportunity whilst feigning a surprised look, ‘This was awarded to us and it has not been paid!’

Add-in the annual pay-out figures equivalent to 1,141 Band D properties council tax which is a staggering 32 times the 36 the cabinet is bleating about. And this is only the subsidy to the Stephen Joseph Theatre and the Open Air Theatre.

We deserve better than this.

Ali Wilkins

Londesborough Park

Seamer