Green light for lowest ever council tax rise

The Conservative administration on South Gloucestershire Council has pushed through plans for the district’s lowest ever council tax rise, despite being one of the lowest funded councils of its kind in the country.

Despite opposition from Liberal Democrat councillors, Conservative councillors won the crunch budget vote after Labour abstained.

At 2.5 per cent for 2010/11, it will be the lowest council tax rise in the Council’s history and would be down on the 2.9 per cent for 2010/11 that was proposed in September 2009 after it was found that the council is on course to collect over £800K more in council tax than it was expecting.

 Other budget highlights for 2010/11 include:

·         £650K funding boost for safeguarding vulnerable children, including £150K to strengthen the Kingswood child social care team;

·         plugging the government’s confirmed £390K cut to the district’s over 60s bus pass scheme;

·         the introduction of a £1.2M flagship youth concessionary travel scheme;

·         maintaining the extra £2M to tackle the decade-old repair backlog and improve the condition of local roads and footpaths;

·         £600K a year extra for community care to reflect the increased client care numbers;

·         A reserve of £1.4M to help protect services in the future as funding reduces to tackle the soaring national debt.

Since the Conservatives began running the Council as a minority administration in May 2007, council tax rises have been falling steadily from 4.5 per cent in 2008/09, 3.9 per cent in 2009/10, a confirmed 2.5 per cent rise in 20010/11 with future plans to bring them down to just 2 per cent in line with the national inflation target.

The cuts in council tax rises come despite South Gloucestershire Council being one of the lowest funded unitary authorities in the country.

As a result, one of the outcomes of this year’s budget consultation has seen the number of residents that think that the Council offers good value for money leap from 49 per cent a year ago to 59 per cent today - a 10 point improvement.

Cllr John Calway, Leader of the Council’s Conservative administration, said:

“I am disappointed that Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors failed to support our budget because it is one that delivers the lowest ever council tax rise in the district’s history, strengthens essential frontline services and prepares the district for the tough years ahead.

All three major parties are committed to public spending reductions in the years ahead and so we cannot stick our heads in the sand and pretend that tough public spending decisions are not on the way as a result of the dire state of the national finances.

Residents are counting on us to be responsible and that’s why we are making the assumption that government support will fall by 1.5 per cent a year for the foreseeable future.

Our service review efficiency drive will not only improve services and stop residents being passed from pillar to post, but it will release resources that help prepare us for the leaner times ahead.

The alternative ‘do nothing’ option preferred by some would leave the district dangerously exposed to the tough public spending decisions we know are coming whatever happens after the coming election.”

He added:

“I am pleased that many more residents than last year tell us that we are providing better value for money and we are committed to meeting their rising expectations, especially during these tough economic times.

2010 will also see the full roll-out of our flagship youth concessionary travel scheme, as well as pumping in an extra £2m to improve the condition of local roads and footpaths in a continued effort to reverse the neglect seen since South Gloucestershire Council came into existence.”