Lib Dem leader says Southend Council Tax increase still ‘one of highest’
By Rachel Charman
The leader of the Liberal Democrat councillors Graham Longley has commented on the changes to Southend Council Tax.
In yesterday’s cabinet meeting, Southend Borough Council proposed an amendment to its draft 2010/11 budget that it claims will boost tax payers.
The Cabinet today recommended to the Council to approve a General Fund net revenue budget for 2010/11 of £130.491 million with a proposed Council Tax increase of 2.95% which equates to £1,117.89 for Band D properties.
The Cabinet claims that represents a reduction on an earlier proposal, in which Band D properties were recommended for a 3.95% Council Tax increase.
Cllr Longley told Councilbust.com:
“It is difficult to see that the proposals put forward to reduce the council tax increase by one percent could not have been included in the previous proposals.
“The reductions are achieved on a number of revised assumptions all of which could have been made earlier.
“The assumption that the level of reduced income on parking was too high and could be reduced, the assumption that the savings achieved over the introduction of a new management system could be increased and the assumption that the staff pay increase level could be reduced to almost nothing are new stabs at the levels previously proposed.
“If their assumptions were wrong in the first place they could just as easy be wrong again.
“The removal of money from the budget for staff salary increases is particularly sad because they assume the the outcome of the pay negotiations in advance of them being made.
“This is particularly galling because directors and senior staff will still get their pay award under the ‘payment by results’ scheme in place, and councillors will still get an increase in their allowances under the inflation increases in the rest of the budget.
“These proposals have been announced for two possible reasons; Tories had intended to do this all along and announced the first figure as a way of frightening the taxpayers who they hope will now think of them as ‘good eggs’; or they are so worried about the electorate and pressure from outside has forced them to re-think and bring the increase down to a level more in line with other Tory councils.
“Whatever the reason, in the light of the increases in Basildon of 0.9% and in Rochford of 2.15% and others elsewhere Southend will still have one of the highest increases anywhere.
“The fact that it has a low base to start with does not help when it comes to having to pay the increase.
“The Tories have done an ‘about face’. They say they have listened to feedback from residents and businesses and reduced the level set; what a pity they didn’t think about that when they set it in the first place.”
The proposed amendments to the budget will be discussed at a Council meeting on Thursday at 6.30pm at the Civic Centre.
