Priorities for county (From Gazette Series)

Priorities for county

COUNTY householders will see a five percent increase in the amount they pay Gloucestershire County Council for its services.

As predicted, the council approved the 5.3 percent increase in council tax when it met last week to finalise the budget.

The total budget for 2004-05 has been set at £517.4 million - an increase of 6.4 percent on last year.

The budget has allocated several large chunks of investment in key services including £285 million in education, £120 million in social services, £19 million in fire and rescue services and £25 million in highways.

Deputy leader Cllr Liz Boait (Lib Dem) said the council's priorities are clear.

"These are to raise and maintain achievements in all schools and improve the quality of life for vulnerable adults and children," she said. "Another key aim has been to reverse the lack of investment of previous decades so the county's infrastructure can significantly improve."

This year's increase is the lowest since council tax was introduced with the exception of the year the county's demand was capped.

Despite the rise, some cuts will still have to be made, as the share of government funding awarded to Gloucestershire County Council is the lowest in the country.

Council leader Cllr Peter Clarke (Lab) said recent roadshows indicated where the public would like to see council tax spent.

"We have listened to each and every view put forward and taken them into account when creating this budget," he said. "While we are concerned about hardship that paying council tax causes, we must invest in schools, services for older people, roads and public transport."

He said the rise is part of an ongoing strategy, adding: "The council has delivered much in the last three years and we need to work to consolidate what we have done and to continue to improve necessary services."

BLOB: Last week Gloucestershire Police Authority set the force's budget for the forthcoming financial year, and in doing so increased the portion of council tax paid to the police by 9.9 percent.

Stroud District Council's demand rose by 2.5 percent in line with inflation.

In Stroud, taking into account town and parish council's demands, the average bill will be around £1,247 with a band D council tax payer paying £156.71 for policing, £888.76 to the county.