Lowest ever rise for Council Tax (From Gazette Series)

Lowest ever rise for Council Tax

RESIDENTS in Gloucestershire are set to face their lowest ever rise in Council Tax.

The county council's Conservative-led administration was expected to announce that Council Tax will rise by 3.5 percent after cabinet members discussed the financial strategy for 2006-07 at a meeting on Wednesday. The draft budget sets out how much money will be spent on services provided by the authority, including highways maintenance, adult care and children's services.

If the cabinet agrees the budget a period of consultation and scrutiny will follow, with the final budget approved by full council in February. The rise would mean owners of a band D property would pay £955 - an increase of £32 per year.

Council leader Cllr Barry Dare said: "It has been hard work and we have had to take some tough decisions, but I am overjoyed to deliver the lowest Council Tax increase ever set by Gloucestershire County Council.

"My Conservative colleagues and I promised the electorate we would give them lower council tax, and we are delivering that promise.

"After decades of having wasteful Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors squandering their money, we are now committed to offering people in this county good value for their money for a change. Now the hard work begins to deliver low Council Tax next year."

However, Labour councillors fear that the Council Tax has been kept low but rash spending promises mean cuts are in store for the most vulnerable people in Gloucestershire, especially the elderly.

Cllr Maureen Rutter (Stroud West, Labour and Co-operative) said, "The Conservatives are hiding the consequences of the low Council Tax by charging the very people that the Council Tax is there to help.

"Higher charges will mean fewer elderly people will get the care they need, which will eventually put greater pressure on social services and the NHS. In cabinet there was no discussion, the increases were passed without debate. The Labour group knows that the elderly are not the last group to be targeted. Who will be next?"

The budget will be finalised on February 8 and is set to be approved by councillors on February 22.

GAZETTE FACT BOX: Gloucestershire County Council's total budget is £580 million (including education) and the recommended expenditure includes: * Education - dedicated grant of £283 million, a new ring-fenced grant for schools expenditure * Children and young people - £58.9 million * Highways Maintenance and road safety £20.6 million * Adult Care - £97m Gloucestershire County Council will receive a Government financial settlement of £92.7 million for 2006-07. This represents £1.9 million or 2.2 percent increase on last year's budget.