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Council Tax goes up 3.8%

Chris Jones
6/ 3/2008

COUNCIL tax bills in Middleton will increase by 3.8 per cent next year.

The rise, confirmed by a majority vote of councillors on Rochdale Council last week, was condemned by Labour and Conservative opposition members.

Tory councillors had called for a smaller increase, while Labour had been pushing for a tax break for pensioners after the government increased its grant - worth around over half the total revenue of the borough - by 5.4 per cent.

Despite opposition, the increase was passed as part of 2009/09 budget at last Wednesday's budget council (27 February). Lib Dem council leader Alan Taylor defended the increase, arguing it was the lowest increase for over a decade.

"We have pledged to keep council tax bills as low as possible, and to provide residents with the best value for money," he said at the meeting: "Our budget proposals, like last year, again propose the lowest council tax increase in over a decade, even lower than last year's, but we are still improving services, and have many new initiatives and many areas of extra investment."

Among the new spending proposals announced in the budget, which will see more than £300M spent over the next financial year were:

  • A commitment to cleaning all gullies over the next 12 months.
  • An increase in devolved funding to Middleton worth £4 per person.
  • Day time provision for older people with mental health problems at Saxonside Resource Centre.
  • Money for an annual 'spring clean' in Middleton.
  • A free recycling collection service for charities.
  • An end to charges for removing bulky waste to tackle fly tipping.
  • £35,000 for each of the cemeteries in Middleton
  • An extra £125,000 for Youth Services across Rochdale.
  • An additional police officer for Middleton.
  • A new time-limited blue badge scheme for people suffering temporary disabilities.

Rochdale Borough Council's Executive member for Finance, Councillor Greg Couzens said: "The budget provides a great opportunity to plan and deliver additional investment in priority areas. It is a true medium term budget that offers low tax and value for money.

"The budget will support the delivery on our promises to improve the quality of life of people in the borough. Money spent on key priorities like the environment, extra police officers for each township and on the youth service will have a major impact on people's lives."

The agreed budget also includes provision to make efficiency savings worth almost £3M a year

Cllr Couzens added: "The council will only be able to make a real difference to services for local people if its investment plans are prudent and sustainable. This is the lowest council tax for over a decade. It's an increase of 84p per week at Band D. Whilst the medium term plan assumes an increase of 3.8% for three years, I am committed to getting below this level from 2009/10. We will achieve this by good financial management, taking a longer term view and by improving services."


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Most recent 2 of 2 user comments

   Many of you, like me, will have recently received information or letters which will seriously challenge your pocket. News of your council tax rise, and of course news of massive fuel rises. The piddling rise in your state pension will not cover these items or the huge rise in the cost of the weekly shop. And bad news for some of you on the income tax front. Granted, Gordon Brown in his last budget before becoming PM raised the personal tax allowance for those over 65 from April 2008 and this has, for those people, compensated for his abolition of the 10 per cent tax band. However those pensioners under 65, and anyone else on modest incomes may well find they are paying rather more income tax after 6 April. There are of course many young people on low earnings; they too will be hit by the tax rises. Soon the chance of saving for their future will disappear along with the dream of a home of their own. Life is becoming a competition, heat, eat or pay your council tax. Further cuts in services but still we get a 4% inflation (CPI)-busting increase in our CT bills. The effective percentage increase is higher because we continue to get cuts in services at the same time. A thought: If your pack of eggs at the supermarket went up by 4% and at the same time the number of eggs was reduced from 12 to 11 would you accept that the price of eggs had gone up by 4%? - of course you wouldn't - the price of your eggs has actually increased by over 13%. The same general principle applies to council tax, and we're being taken for suckers. The effective increase is whatever the same "pack" of services you got last year would cost this year - but we're getting less in the pack, again! I don't know what the effective percentage CT increase is but it's certainly higher than 4%. How long before nearly all the eggs have disappeared, but the pack price has continued to increase by "only" 4 or 5 percent every year? You are certainly looking after your voters, Mr Dobbin.



Arthur Bywaters, Heywood
8/04/2008 at 12:27
   An additional police officer? ONE more! With armed robberies running at about one a week is this really enough?
Mike, Middleton
10/03/2008 at 19:55
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