Rise could be lowest for 13 years (From News Shopper)

Rise could be lowest for 13 years

4:51pm Tuesday 27th February 2007

• Print
• Email
• Share

BEXLEY'S new Tory council is proposing the lowest council tax rise in the borough for 13 years.

The council's cabinet meeting on Monday night, recommended a rise of just 3 per cent in Bexley's share of the council tax, below the current inflation rate of 4.2 per cent.

"This is a value for money budget that will deliver the lowest possible council tax rise for Bexley residents."

Council leader Councillor Ian Clement

The Greater London Authority has approved a rise of 5.3 per cent in its share.

If Bexley's plans are approved by the council on March 7, it will bring the overall council tax rise in Bexley to 3.5 per cent.

For a Band D council taxpayer, it will mean an annual bill of £1,361.69 compared with £1,315.61 in the current year, an increase of £46 a year.

In neighbouring Bromley, a Band D household will be paying £1,217.61.

Bexley's Tory council says it has achieved the low increase by making improvements in the way services are delivered and finding £6m of savings.

The council will be taking £600,000 from its warranties reserve, which was set up to cover any major problems when the council transferred all its council houses to housing associations.

Cabinet member for finance and corporate affairs, Councillor Colin Campbell told the cabinet this money would be used to pay for one-off items and not to pay for ongoing services.

He said these would include redundancy pay, "court actions to defend the council against the excesses of the Greater London Authority" and the costs of dealing with the ProLogis planning application for a giant freight depot in Slade Green.

Cllr Campbell said the major council reserve fund, the general fund stood at only £5.1m and was looking "as sick as a parrot".

The Tories propose transferring £3.137m from other reserves into the general fund to bolster it.

Cllr Campbell said : "We have been tough on ourselves, but people will find it hard to find any significant cuts in services."

And he added: "This is not a one-off, this is a first instalment." He said it was the Tories' aim to boost reserves and make service developments.

Council leader, Councillor Ian Clement told the meeting one of the Tory council's core aims was to make the council fiscally fit and "able to weather the financial storms that are coming."

He promised: "You won't see the yo-yoing of figures. I see this council's lifetime as a four-year fixed term contract.

"We must not be complacent or arrogant and we must deliver what we promised.

Cllr Clement said: "This is a value for money budget that will deliver the lowest possible council tax rise for Bexley residents."

He added: "Getting the council's spending back to a level we are happy with has not been easy, especially because we inherited spending plans which would have led to a 10 per cent council tax rise."

Last year, the Labour-led administration used reserves to keep Bexley's share of the council tax increase down to 3.9 per cent - then the lowest for 12 years. The overall increase was 5.8 per cent In 2004/5 Bexley's council tax went up 7.5 per cent and in 2003/4 by 17.5 per cent.

If approved at the March 7 council meeting, from April 1 Bexley council taxpayer will pay

• Band A - £705.20 (Bexley) plus £202.59 (Greater London Authority) totalling £907.79.

• Band B - £822.74 (Bexley) plus £236.35 (GLA) totalling £1,059.09.

• Band C - £940.27 (Bexley) plus £270 12 (GLA) totalling £1,210.39.

• Band D - £1,057.81 (Bexley) plus £303.88 (GLA) totalling £1,361.69.

• Band E - £1,292,88 (Bexley) plus £ £71.41 (GLA) totalling £1,664.29.

• Band F - £1,527.95 (Bexley) plus £438.94 (GLA) totalling £1,966.89.

• Band G - £1,763.01 (Bexley) plus £506.47 (GLA) totalling £2,269.48.

• Band H - £2,115.62 (Bexley) plus £607.76 (GLA) totalling £2,723.38.

• Print
• Email
• Share