What should be councils’ priorities when spending tax money?

In its weekly voxpop, the Advertiser found out what people think should be the council’s priorities following a council tax rise.

Transcript

00:00Well, I think one of the things is keeping the streets clean, and actually, public toilets,

00:15I think it's appalling, and waste bins, there aren't enough of them, and I think it's such

00:20a shame, it's a lovely town, but it's dead scruffy when you walk around. I sweep now

00:28in front of my own house, the kerb, and people laugh and say I'm wasting my time, but if

00:35I point out it's good exercise, fresh air, and cheaper than going to the gymnasium.

00:44It's the best interest of local people, I would say, really. I certainly wouldn't waste

00:49money on the kiddy stones, but I'm afraid that's not my call, and it's already been

00:54decided. His idea is to make far, far more of the fact that there is so much history

01:04here in Newark, and to build on getting people to come into that, I know they're doing things

01:11but he believes there is more, that would create the football, which would create far

01:17more revenue for the shops, and encourage more to open. He actually said that in Newark,

01:26we have more to see, even than York. I mean, York is wonderful, but with the shambles and

01:36all the venues there, but Newark's got much more, as far as attractions are concerned,

01:43the Gunder's House, Gilstrap Centre, etc, etc. So, yeah, that's what he was saying,

01:52invest in those sort of things. Firstly, the potholes, because the cycle paths and the

01:58roads in Newark are atrocious. I went to Poland for the first time 13 years ago, and the roads

02:04there are better than the UK. That's right, Germany got excellent roads, the UK, terrible

02:09roads. I'm on my fourth set of Mercedes wheels now through potholes. It's quite expensive and

02:16costly for me over the last five years in the same car. I've had numerous amounts of tyres

02:22welded, wheels welded, so, yeah, it's expensive. So, I wish I could spend the money on potholes.