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Council tax set to leap 3.5%
Reporter: DAWN MARSDEN
Date online: 23 January 2013
OLDHAM Council is set to increase council tax by 3.5 per cent with council chiefs warning residents they face a stark choice between paying more or libraries and children’s centres closing.
The local authority says it needs the hike to deliver a balanced budget for 2013/4 and towards an estimated £38 million in savings by 2015.
Major reductions in funding from Central Government and the impact of other pressures mean savings totalling £100 million have already been made in the past four years.
But Lib-Dem councillors have blasted the increase labelling it a bombshell for residents.
It would mean an estimated rise of 60p per week for residents in Band A properties (43 per cent of borough households) and up to 90p a week for Band D homes.
Worse news is set to follow as the Greater Manchester Police Authority (GMPA) and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority (GMFRA), are yet to advise Oldham Council of their spending intentions for 2013/4 and there has also been no indication received from Shaw and Crompton, and Saddleworth parish councils.
Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd this week announced plans to increase the police element of residents’ annual council tax bill.
The draft budget proposals go before an Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Monday, then cabinet on February 18 and finally a special full council budget meeting on February 27. If approved they would see a first rise in council tax in three years.
Oldham Council leader Councillor Jim McMahon added: “We have found savings of £30 million already this year, however the additional £7.5 million of cuts from Government means we either start closing libraries and children’s centres — as seen in neighbouring areas — or we look for balance and increase council tax.
The increase will be the first rise in council taxes for three years.
The government has made funding available to enable councils to freeze council Tax for 2013/14, although the grant is much lower than in previous years.
Liberal Democrat councillor Lynne Thompson, shadow cabinet member for finance, said: ““This is a shocking slap in the face for the borough’s residents. Doesn’t this Labour administration ever remember whose money it is?”
Comments
disgraceful labour a party of the people dave or party for the poor,less & less services but you the chosen one's are all giving yourself pay rises of 10% & more funny how mr parker said he would update his citizens monthly since cameron asked him to take a 10/15% cut in wages ...stum not a word off him since...i hope the tories slam this council & deduct this off there goverment grant.see what our great 1 oh i mean small 1 as to say about this.1st rise in 3 years & by a labour run council ,
Hang on a moment Jim you have £11million put on one side for a statue of Churchill and other public art, this money could be put to better use instead of being wasted on public art. You do not need to raise the council tax but you will, after all you have all those new loans to pay back, so it will be 3.5% this year 6.0% next I see you are following Labour tradition by leaving a digger black hole than the last
I would prefer not to pay the extra 3.5% please as I feel the service provided for my current council tax bill is way below where it should be. Those who use Libraries and Childrens centres etc simply should be the ones who pay for them. I occasionaly visit my local public house but do not expect the council tax payer to cough up at the bar for me. Its my choice and I pay.
For nearly 5 months Cllr McMahon and Co have been buttering us up for this bombshell. Labour were asked repeatedly if they would increase Council Tax, and repeatedly they denied it.Labour's election literature did not say that they would increase Council Tax, in fact they said that they would "look after your money". If putting up taxes was a sport Labour would win Gold, Silver and Bronze!
This is not appropriate. When in the real world Jim boy people are facing pay cuts and freezes and you want to force an additional cost to ratepayers (who I might add get no value for money) do you want to loose the next election as you are heading in the right direction and causing untold harm to people who could ill afford the additional cost - cut the salary of all people on £50k in the Council - will save millions!
Nothing to do with the tram that was dropped on us and was delayed time and time again?
Close the libraries and Children’s Centres then, i have never used either nor do i intend to. HTH.
People should pay to use a library if thats the case!
Terry Tibbs!
Come on Lynne Thompson, it's your no good party that went into coalition with the Tories and it's them who sanctioned the cuts. Please explain to us how & why this is a slap in the face? What were the council supposed to do in the face of such cutbacks?
It's easy to sit there and carp at every difficult decision, so seeing as these are LibDem imposed cuts, what more would your party have cut back on?
Typical council. Instead of properly managing their finances they use threats to libraries and children's services to make taxpayers accept increases.
£7.5 million? Last week we were told £3.5 million was being spent on sculptures and landscaping for the tram route that nobody needed because we had the trains!!! "Lets go for a walk" How much is that rubbish costing us? Top end wages? I am sure others can think of many more. But the long term mismanagement of investment is the main reason why our town is a mess.
they key thing is that for the increase in council tax, do we continue to recieve the level of services we get now.
and it begs the question of how much wastage has been going on for decades in ombc.
the town centre and the whole borough has been neglected in allsorts of ways.
there should be an investigation into previous administrations and the amount corporate wasteage and neglect.
i think it would make for alarming news. although most oldhamers know its been going on for years.
For a start the Council could, and should, scrap all this town beautifying and landscaping along the new metro route. It isn't needed and they should have acted on all the negative feedback they received in the Chronicle comments when it was first mooted. Save the libraries, get rid of the landscaping etcetera.
What a joke!!! another Oldham Council Bombshell, Close the Libraries!!!.....leave the Statues....Squeezing money out of people they simply dont have......Don't worry the Metrolink will be the saviour of Oldham......I don't think so... Ive had enough.....Like many other people, The whole Borough is a Joke......I'm off...would the last one out please turn off the light.
I have said this time and time again and repeat get real business people into this council not this rag bag wind blowing group you have in place. I bet not one could run through a profit and loss statement nor cash flow forecast. Oldham was and could be a great town again but this now needs real ideas not the huff and puff that has destroyed the town from self officiating whimps we have in place. Of course this needs strong decisions and is no longer about the party in place is about the town.
Continuing, this council is wrought with differeing opinions serving different and selective opinions based on their ward criteria. I would stop this immediately this should be about developing the image of the town not religious preferences. Priorities should be education, transport, services and development of business manufacturing. The public sector should also be set a charter to serve and perform if not then leave. This is about the town itself, how great it was and it should be again.
Thats just great! My salary has remained the same for 4 years and last year we were forced to take a pay cut and now the Council are trying to justify this increase? Gas and Electric up by 9% etc etc good lord how long will it be until I earn less that my outgoings not long by the sound of it! Oldham is a mess and I agree with previous post regarding the 'tarting' up of the town centre and its waste of money sculptures!Just glad Shaw now has the Metro! Manchester here we come!
well well well we knew this was coming sombody has to pay for the shaw bomb blass .......... its a disgrace.
With no increase for the last three years when the aggregate inflation rate has been over 10% and set against draconian reduced Government support an increase this year was almost inevitable and the level suggested doesn't come close to matching the amount lost. Don't forget, the Lib Dems once stuck us with 12.5% at one go.
Wait a minute, I know how to save the council money.If the councillors and cabinet members REALLY care than this is how it should be.
They should find out what the average Oldhamer makes and should put their salaries on that mark. If the salaries increase because of better education, better facilities and schools than the average pay will go up and they can put their pay up also. That will mean the council members will get paid on merit.
What do you think?
We already know we are getting a well below par set of services from the council why oh why would we want to pay more.
Stop the waste that goes on and get to managing the budget correctly
by the way what would happen if we all decided not to pay our council tax until they got their act sorted ?
now there is a thought people !
Must be no local council elections this year, Jim your unfortunately typical labour
Well I'd vote lower council taxes, so even more cuts than those mentioned please.
It was always going to happen. this tory government have cut subsidies to local government even though it was our tax's that allow them to provide that service, and then we have to pay the short fall via our C/T so in effect you pay twice(thats if you work)oh and they are borrowing more now than ever to bring the deficit down...yet they say they are spending less....the real culprits (banks) get away with it scott free while the poor working class keep the country afloat!!
Now all remember, NO ELECTIONS THIS YEAR.. Thats why they put up council tax this year. That's why the Foxdenton Palnning application is this year. Now if you want to give loads of money to Latics, 11m for a road Boulvard in Oldham Centre. Then it needs to be paid for. SIMPLES
'Council tax set to sky rocket 3.5%, evil squeezing Tories to blame' Consumer Prices Index (CPI) is currently at 2.7% and the RPI is at 3.1% so againt inflation the 'leap' is about 0.5% which comes to under £10 a year in real terms, assuming everyone is in line for a minimum 3% pay rise........ doh!
absolutely scandalous this after announcing the statue gimmick and spending thousands on flowers throughout the borough in the summer and a new sports centre when we already have one etc over the past months. well out in the real world I have not had a pay rise for the last 5 years my rent with fcho went up 8.43% this year and roughly the same last year. Food costs and utility bills are spiralling out of control and I won't be renewing my TV licence this year due to cost. this is no life at all!
Don't increase the council tax and scrap the children's centres and libraries. I don't have children, so why should I subsidize other people's? These children's centre's were created when Labour were in power (spending money they didn't have) to create a grateful client state who would vote for them. As for libraries, they're going the way of HMV and Blockbuster anyway. Most people have the internet now and the Kindle and similar devices are changing the way we read.
Some people seem too quick to blame the Council when the real problem lies with a Tory Government backed up by the Lib Dems which is determined to cut Council budgets.
Perhaps the grumblers on this board will blame Oldham Council for cuts to the armed forces, cuts to education, cuts to the NHS,and cuts to the police - All of which have been forced through by Tories and Lib Dems.
Get them childrens centres shut, and make people pay for library services then, SIMPLES! I cannot afford a rise in council tax, and rarely use a library and have NEVER used a childrens centre (despite having kids) so get em shut!
If you want libraries why dont you pay to use them.
Why not charge,say £2 per book ?
children and oap's free.
simple,it's not rocket science.
Mollythefrog just doesn't get it does she were are the savings from the number of councillors cut or what about Charlie & his angels labour were in power 13yrs all they did was feather there own nests once again about the tenth time of asking what percentage of my c/tax is used for council pensions anyone
As expected JMTS pops up defending the increase. Given the amount of money Oldham Council tells us it has cut from it's budget, there shouldn't be any increase at all,
Does Oldham Council still have that £50,000 Audi A8 on lease at £12k a year plus chauffeur wages?
@mollythefrog You're OK with local authorities simply spending without any responsibilty for public money?
What a joke.The Council are a bunch of Soft Panseys. NOT Creative or prepared to take a risk.
1)Integrate the Libraries and Childrens Centres into the schools.Extend the opening hours for Community Access.
2)Move the Artwork and Touring Displays from the libraries into the schools or / and the empty retail units in Oldham.
3)Re purpose the Oldham Library as a combined theatre and Cinema.It has plenty of parkng on Sainsburys Car Park, and is close to both Mumps AND Union St Metrolink Stations
the biggest waste of money is still present in oldham council.
for some reason i cannot mention their name or job title on here.
we all know who they are though!
Some people think that we should close libraries, cut community centres and get rid of any services (They don't use) - So instead of going forward these people propose we go back to Victorian times (very forward thinking) - These people probably support the cuts to the police and army since they don't use their services either.
People should not forget it's a Tory Gov't propped up by Lib dems that are forcing through these cuts to council budgets, but think it's ok to cut millionaires taxes
Mollythefrog, it is Local Councils that are in charge of their own budgets. Yes, they get grants & other financial incentives from Central Gov't, but the majority of the money is raised locally. I mean what is the point in having a Borough Treasurer or Overview & Scrutiny Committee if the Council does not set, raise or implement its own budget? Why do we need Councillors if you are blaming it all on Central Gov't? It is about time this Administration takes responsibility for its choices.
@Mollythefrog. no its the 13 years that labour allowed local athorities to ride the good times with wasteful schemes and spending too much, over the top levels of upper management and too much red tape.
all the coalition have done is cut the amount of money that goes to local councils.
its up to the councils what has to be cut.
and in ombc's case upper management seems to have escaped relatively unharmed. unlike the lower end workers (who actully did the work) and the services they provide.
mollythefrog just doesnt get it does she...under labour yes the labour goverment....my library was forced to close...my community centre was forced to close my post office was closed down all protested against (half heartedly) by phil woolas..victorian times wasnt there trams running through oldham then...
Some people say we should close libraries because they don't use them (strange how some people only think Oldham services are just for their benefit only) - On that argument I say the council should never bail out Latics again (I never go) Scrap all primary & Nursery schools since I no-longer use them and close all council OAP homes since I'm not in one.
Some people it seems only think in terms of me me me & me and forget that what doesn't suit them might be supported by others
ah! thats where you went wrong latics38!
you got woolas on you campaign! might as well admitted defeat at that point.
nowts changed with his replacement either! she doesnt even do anything on her specialist subject. the nhs!
and mollythefrog. you seem to contradict yourself! you blame the current government for the cuts but then say its the councils fault with wasteful spending.
labour encouraged wasteful spending councils countrywide which made the coalition impliment such cutbacks.
fedupoldhamer @ - I think you should read my comments again since for the life of me I cannot see where I've contradicted myself.
If as you say Labour councils were so wasteful why in the last local elections did so many people vote Labour. Also the latest economic figures show the Tory Lib Dem Coalition is borrowing more than the Labour Party ever did - Nationally the economy is flat-lining & we are heading for a triple dip recession - After nearly 3 years you can't keep blaming Labour
ah! molly! look back at the voting figures for oldham. labour only narrowly got the majority to take power of oldham council.
and most labour victories where also only narrowly won nationwide be a few hundred votes.
keep believing the labour spin! it shocking that so many still think they didnt do anything wrong.
your contridiction is that previously the liberal run council shut some libraries down a few years ago way before the cutbacks. now labour want to shut more.
Have Your Say
Perhaps Lib Dem Councillors support Central Government Cuts to Local Councils that will result in councils making cuts to services.
Maybe the Lib Dems will explain in detail where the money should come from to keep services in place. The Lib Dems huff and puff over closures of council services but seem to forget that it's their support of a Tory Government that is ensuring less money is coming to councils.
Perhaps the Lib Dem policy is You get something for nothing
By Mollythefrog @ 23/01/2013 12:32:41