Frank Little

Councillor for East Central ward on Coedffranc Town Council Learn more

More detail on the budget

by franklittle on 7 March, 2011

Further to my earlier post, the council tax rates payable in Blaenhonddan in 2011/12, including the community council precept and the police levy, are as follows:

Band A: £925.81;  B: £1,080.09; C: 1,234.40;  D: £1,388.70; E: £1,697.31; F: £2,005.90; G: £2,314.51; H: £2,777.40; I: £3,240.29.

Some comparisons at Band D (the standard basis): Dyffryn Clydach, £1,388.26; Coedffranc, £1,451.39; Tonna, £1,377.89.

As mentioned before, the general reserves have fallen to 2.81% of the council’s budget for 2011/12, as against the Audit Commission’s recommendation of 5%. In addition to cutting the contribution to reserves, some services have had to be axed and charges raised:

  • discretionary grants for school uniform stopped
  • new fostering strategy
  • 1.7% cut to voluntary organisations
  • elderly independence & well-being grant withdrawn
  • charges for public conveniences & the Gnoll car park
  • moving to fortnightly black bin refuse collection
  • extending the life of council vehicles

This is in addition to the savings expected to result from the transfer of council houses (finally achieved last weekend) and of residential care.

I asked whether there would now be a contribution from NPT Homes to the council in respect of accommodation and other services, and the director of finance, Derek Davies, confirmed that there would, without going into specifics. We will clearly have to keep an eye on this to ensure that something like the market rate is charged.

We on the LibDem group were also concerned that children’s services might be overreacting to new requirements from central government in terms of increased staff costs. However, members of the personnel committee had been promised that there would be a review of the new inquiry set-up later in the year.

We do have further ideas on saving expenditure in future years, but I hope to pursue these by correspondence. In view of the reasonable council tax settlement (soundings in Cardiff last weekend suggest it will be around the Welsh average tax rise) and the way in which the workforce have contributed to it by sacrificing 2% of salary for all but the lower-paid, we did not oppose the cabinet’s budget proposal.

   2 Comments

2 Responses

  1. cllr.p.a.rees says:

    Frank, Where in the proposals in the budget does it say anything about public convenience at the Gnoll being a charge? Why don’t you quote what your Liberal colleagues in Swansea are doing to public services. This Labour led authority has provided the citizens of NPT with a reasoned, fair and least damaging budget – when you consider what your Con/Dem government are doing to the country. Shame on you for supporting, this fast becoming discredited Conservative administration. Also remember it was this Labour administration who proposed the 2% cut in councillors allowances after the allowance freeze last April!

  2. franklittle says:

    Peter, sorry for not spotting your comment sooner.

    Page 20 of the Budget & Council Tax Proposals document lists £30,000 savings from Public Conveniences, and £31,000 from Gnoll Car access charges.

    I am not as closely in touch with Swansea as you appear to be, but I do know they have approved a council house rent rise of 4.95% as opposed to NPT Homes 6%+, and they have just opened a new bus station which is disabled-user-friendly, unlike Victoria Gardens.

    What I remember is that Tony Taylor proposed a freeze in 2009, supported by LibDems on the council, and it was voted down by the Labour majority.

    And whatever I thought about going into coalition with the Conservatives in the first place, to pull out now would be disastrous for UK’s financial standing in the world. I content myself that Liberal Democrats are continuing to influence the government, in particular on human rights and the NHS in England.

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