Town Council is “skint” says new chairman

FRODSHAM Town Council’s annual budget-setting meeting was adjourned without a new precept being agreed after newly-elected chairman Mike Pusey claimed the council had been overspending and could soon be “skint”.
He told councillors: “I didn’t realise we had been overspending as much as we have been and had been for a number of years. We have been subsidising the budget to the tune of £80,000 to £120,000.
“We were a very rich council but now we are a very poor council.”
Cllr Pusey was speaking after the council had received a report from its Policy and Process Committee recommending a £40.38 precept – an increase of 2p on last year’s figure.
The report noted that a 2p increase was needed to cover increases in the minimum wage and potential increases in pension costs. Existing council reserves should be used to keep the increase to 2p.
Cllr Pusey said if the council spent £127,340 it had in the bank it would be a “broke council”.  It would be necessary to have a precept of £75 next year.
The precept should have been increased gradually over the last few years and the sort of rise now needed would look like a massive increase.
Cllr Tom Reynolds said: “Shouldn’t we be increasing the precept? It is not our fault if the figures have been manipulated  by the past council.”
The council had kept the precept artificially low, he said.
Bit Cllr Sara Wakefield denied that the figures had been manipulated.  Cllr Liam Jones said the previous council had done a splendid job by not increasing the council tax
Cllr Mallie Poulton said it would be unfair to hike-up the precept in one fell swoop. He asked if it could be increased in smaller increments.
Cllr Frank Pennington criticised increases in the council’s wage bill which, he said, had risen from £37,000 last year to £48,000 this year.
He would be “dead against” any increase. The precept should be kept as it was and he would fight tooth and nail to protect Frodsham people, many of who had to exist on as little as £70-a-week.
“We have had three good years – we have to make it four” he said.
It was agreed to refer the budget back to an extraordinary meeting of the full council on Wednesday, January 20 at 7pm to enable further consideration of the budget, with all members able to take part.