by David Skentelbery
TOWN Hall bosses at Warrington are asking the public for their views on a 2.4 per cent increase in council tax for each of the next three years.
This is lower than last year's four per cent rise and the lowest increase in more than a decade, they say.
But it still higher than they would like.
For the average Band D property, this would equate tol an increase of 51 pence a week or £26.64 a year and would still keep Warrington's council tax below the national average.
The proposed increases are included in a consultation paper on the council's spending plans for the next three years.
Savings proposals included in the document amount to around £30 million over the period up to 2013
In a joint statement, leader of the council Ian Marks and his deputy, Keith Bland, say several years of efficiency savings have already cut nearly £25 million from the council's operating costs. They recognise there is a limit to the amount of saving that can be achieved but say they believe there are still more efficiency savings to be made.
"Everybody knows that we are now operating in the deepest and longest lasting global recession for several decades. This worldwide downturn affects local councils as much as any other organisations...
"This means that we face some very tough decisions."
Among the cutbacks the council is suggesting are:
Closing two recycling centres, concentrating the service on Gatewarth: £440,00; reducing support for Sunday and rural bus services: £600,000; switching off street lights between midnight and 5am: £22,000; removing some school crossing patrols: £20,000; developing a leisure trust and updating opening hours and facilities at leisure centres: £425,000; reviewing services to the most vulnerable people: £1.8m; review of support for residents with the highest cost care packages: £1.2m; axe children's centres at Lymm, Appleton, Culcheth and Woolston to seek private sector investment: £700,000; review library services: £387,000; review council support for swimming squads: £30,000; review use of the Dallam Centre and provision of high dependency and specialist day services: £225,000; stop providing consumer advice: £60,000.
In addition the council will look for efficiency savings of around £250,000 across five Town Hall departments.
However, the council will maintain or increase annual funding in many areas including the green refuse collection, £200,000; kerbside recycling: £563,000; cemetery improvements: £85,000; repairing potholes: £350,000 and preparing for an energy from waste plant: £200,000.
See "Opinion" CLICK HERE
This is lower than last year's four per cent rise and the lowest increase in more than a decade, they say.
But it still higher than they would like.
For the average Band D property, this would equate tol an increase of 51 pence a week or £26.64 a year and would still keep Warrington's council tax below the national average.
The proposed increases are included in a consultation paper on the council's spending plans for the next three years.
Savings proposals included in the document amount to around £30 million over the period up to 2013
In a joint statement, leader of the council Ian Marks and his deputy, Keith Bland, say several years of efficiency savings have already cut nearly £25 million from the council's operating costs. They recognise there is a limit to the amount of saving that can be achieved but say they believe there are still more efficiency savings to be made.
"Everybody knows that we are now operating in the deepest and longest lasting global recession for several decades. This worldwide downturn affects local councils as much as any other organisations...
"This means that we face some very tough decisions."
Among the cutbacks the council is suggesting are:
Closing two recycling centres, concentrating the service on Gatewarth: £440,00; reducing support for Sunday and rural bus services: £600,000; switching off street lights between midnight and 5am: £22,000; removing some school crossing patrols: £20,000; developing a leisure trust and updating opening hours and facilities at leisure centres: £425,000; reviewing services to the most vulnerable people: £1.8m; review of support for residents with the highest cost care packages: £1.2m; axe children's centres at Lymm, Appleton, Culcheth and Woolston to seek private sector investment: £700,000; review library services: £387,000; review council support for swimming squads: £30,000; review use of the Dallam Centre and provision of high dependency and specialist day services: £225,000; stop providing consumer advice: £60,000.
In addition the council will look for efficiency savings of around £250,000 across five Town Hall departments.
However, the council will maintain or increase annual funding in many areas including the green refuse collection, £200,000; kerbside recycling: £563,000; cemetery improvements: £85,000; repairing potholes: £350,000 and preparing for an energy from waste plant: £200,000.
See "Opinion" CLICK HERE
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5 Responses to "Council aims for low tax rise" 
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said this on 18 Dec 2009 8:41:44 AM BST
Given that this is a main source of income for WBC at a time when they are millions in debt and desperately need as much revenue as they can get, this can only be happening due to there being an election shortly.
If you had this problem at home, you wouldn't cut your salary/wages.
Personally, I am would be happy with a low increase, and would be happier to pay none at all, BUT where is all this going?
Cutting services, selling the crown jewels? and reducing income. It doesn't add up in my book.
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said this on 19 Dec 2009 10:31:07 AM BST
Silver Surfer, you mentioned in one of your previous comments that the Consumer Advive team were no longer available for you to call in on. They actually still exist but the council made it virtually impossible for the public to see them by closing the reception down in Palmyra House, now they are proposing to close the service totally and I assume reading the budget details, make them redundant. This seems like a long term plant to deprive the elderly and vunerable members of our society from help from a specialist team that CAB will stuggle to replace. As you will of seen the consultation document is only on the web site and therefore rules out access by a great deal of the people that would use the service (Elderly, poor, learning difficulties etc) Elected Councillors and full time management must remember they work for the residents of Warrington not the other way round. One last comment after paying a temporary head in the finance section more than £200,000 in 12 months, how can the council have the cheek to pay this deptartment an extra £350,00 per year under the proposals and cut other services to do so.
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said this on 18 Dec 2009 12:24:42 PM BST
Can the council close down all the recycling centres and open a recycling depot on town hall lawn, so with out travelling far they can just dump the information they produce from the office windows instead of putting it through my door.
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said this on 18 Dec 2009 12:51:36 PM BST
I think they should get RID of the WIRE magazine, reminder to take me OFF the mailing list, use the media that's already in place in the town, stop WASTING money by housing staff in poorly maintained buildings and having the heating on full blast when the windows and doors aren't draft proof, in fact they're rotting, so we're actually heating the car park, STOP having fancy events to "TRY" to chum up with local businesses because I know for a fact it's not working, its making the Council look like a JOKE because they dont know how to mix with a great deal of the private sector, us staff don't get wined and dinned at the Town Hall......and learn to LISTEN and stop concentrating on ticking boxes.
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said this on 18 Dec 2009 1:10:49 PM BST
no mention of the gold plated pensions being frozen / reduced ? Doesnt that accont for 30% of the tax anyway?
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