Norwich City Council has frozen its share of the council tax.
Norwich City Council agrees council tax freeze
By DAN GRIMMER
Public affairs correspondent
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
6:30 AM
Families in Norwich will see no increase in the share of the council tax they pay to City Hall next year after the authority agreed a freeze.
But £5.9m worth of cuts and savings will have to be made which will see the closure of some public toilets, fewer trees planted and an increase in burial costs.
The Labour-controlled council pushed through its £20.7m general fund budget, including a council tax freeze, despite a Green proposal to hike council tax by 3.3pc, which would have seen families pay about 11p extra a week.
The money raised through the Green proposal would have restored tree planting and pumped money into the council’s stretched benefits team.
But that was defeated, along with a Liberal Democrat proposal to slash the council’s bill for the top 64 managers and its communications budget to reverse the toilet closures, peg back plans to increase burial costs and restore tree-planting.
Alan Waters, deputy city council leader, said one of the reasons for planning no increase in City Hall’s share of the council tax was that the authority had successfully clawed back £1.1m from HM Revenue and Customs after making a claim that it should not have had to pay VAT on trade waste collections.
That meant extra cash could be ploughed into reserves, giving the authority a little more room to manoeuvre. Councils are also being given a one-off grant by the government for freezing council tax, equivalent to a 2.5pc increase, which is just over £230,000 for the city council.
But Mr Waters warned: “From next year we will have to pump in three quarters of a million pounds into reserves each year because austerity is going to continue. Council-tax levels after next year are very difficult to predict and we will be pressing for a better system of local government financing.”
The council tax freeze means the share which will go City Hall from a Band D property in Norwich will be £225.87.
Council tax bills for people in Norwich are made up of portions which go to the city council, Norfolk County Council and Norfolk police.
Norfolk County Council agreed on Monday last week to freeze its share of council tax. Norfolk Police Authority agreed yesterday to increase its portion by 3pc.
People covered by Broadland District Council, such as Hellesdon, Sprowston and Thorpe St Andrew, will find out tomorrow whether the authority will freeze its share, while South Norfolk Council, which people in areas such as Costessey, Hethersett and Cringleford pay bills to, is likely to agree a freeze today.
What do you think of the city council’s plans? Write to Evening News Letters, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich NR1 1RE or email eveningnewsletters@archant.co.uk
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8 comments
Is there ever anything you guys don't slate? We all directly or indirectly pay for everyone and everything. Any goods or services you buy, whether they are essential, optional or compulsory provide salaries, bonuses or pensions for the staff in all public & private sector. When you criticise the top level managers, ask yourselves if you would actually want to do their jobs for their salaries, presuming you actually know what they earn?
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nameless
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
isn't Mel Lacey a police officer(see first poster)
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bookworm
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Norwich City Council could use the PAYD for public toilets. This method is used by Norfolk County Council on howit charges for waste to be put into one of their landfill sites. PAYD = Pay As You Dump...
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chebram71
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
the closure of some public toilets, I think there is only three left in the city !
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Rorping
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
64 top managers under this labour led council will not face any cuts in their wages, the same top echelon that was exempt form the MSR restructuring will not share the pain, ever, so it seems. Unavoidable burial costs will be used to claw back the losses from central Government, so will rents. Police pensions are exhorbitant and they need'some more please' to finance their retirement, with more chosing early retirement. Our fire brigades have to source money from community funds for their new fire stations, whilst groups the money was assigned to, all face a crisis in funding. 11pcweek, or £5.72year extra would have kept the costings as they are. What seems clear from the three proposals is that pragmatism is about as far removed from our cllr.s than ever.
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ingo wagenknecht
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
No council tax increase, but the council wants to increase weekly rents, which work out more than what the council tax increase would have equated to if not more. So not well done at all !
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chebram71
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Well done Norwich City Council? We should be getting a flaming rebate for non-service.
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chucky noris
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Well done Norwich City Council!
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Mel Lacey
Wednesday, February 22, 2012