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Council’s crucial budget meeting will beam live
Date published: 26 February 2013
OLDHAM Council will stream its meeting tomorrow live on the internet.
The special meeting will decide the budget for the coming year, which controversially is set to rise by 3.5per cent
Live internet streaming (go to www.oldham.gov.uk, from 6pm) allows residents to watch proceedings as they ahppen.
The meeting will also be broadcast live on Oldham Community Radio (99.7fm).
Liberal Democrats will challenge the ruling Labour party’s decision to raise council tax by 3.5 per cent by offering alternative solutions tomorrow - including cutting the council from 60 members to 40.
Lib-Dems say the rise can be reduced by one per cent if Labour chooses to save money elsewhere.
As well as cutting the number of councillors, they suggest reducing managers, more efficient management of Oldham children’s homes and raising income from parking.
Councillor Howard Sykes, Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition, said: “With a bit more determination, Labour might have found just a little more and qualified for the government subsidy to make it zero per cent.”
Comments
Don’t forget a labour is rising Fire precept by 3.5% Police By 3.5% and waste by 2.5% all this on top of our council tax of 3.5% labour come in your money goes out
Not surprising our council tax is going up when hopelessly missmanaged public sector organisations like Greater Manchester Police can manage to rack up a bil of £16,000 dialing the speaking clock, and directory enquiry numbers! 35,000 calls were made last year to the premium rate services. I doubt this kind of profligacy would be allowed if the service were run by the private sector.
Cutting councillors and managers sounds like sense to me especially if it means we pay less but I wont hold my breath. Where are they going to get the money from for all these statues if we dont pay our 3.5%?
@Barros Let's not forget that in the period 2000 to 2003 the Lib Dems raised the Council Tax an aggregate 25% including 12.5% in one year. No other Party has ever achieved anything close to this.
Your wording is also deliberately deceptive. The precepted increases are within the 3.5% and not on top of it.
Barros got it totally wrong again. Still, it is always the policy of his political party to mislead and to frighten people. Why break the habits of a lifetime?
Have Your Say
At last a bit of sense...Cutting the number of Councillors!!! All other areas in the Council have been cut why not them too. Not sure about income from car parking this may well close the last few remaining shops we have left in Oldham.
By shawresident @ 26/02/2013 14:04:16