Council tax set to rise by 1.9 per cent in Coventry

[dutchman]

Coventry City Council has revealed its budget for the coming financial year - including the details behind some of the worst cuts in living memory.



The council will shave £15million from its budget during 2015/16 as it struggles to deal with a £24m reduction in central government funding from last year.

The £719m budget also includes a 1.9 per cent council tax rise for Coventry residents - amounting to roughly 40p per household and raising an estimated £1.9m for the council.

Original plans to scrap school crossing patrols have now been shelved after schools agreed to fund the service themselves.

But the council says it will still close some libraries and other council buildings as part of its City Centre First strategy which it predicts will save £500,000 this year and £5m by 2017.

The future of the Godiva Festival is also set to be reviewed after the council announced it would shave £300,000 from its existing events budget - the equivalent of a 40 per cent drop.

Coun Damian Gannon, cabinet member for finance, said: “This budget shows the stark reality of having to deliver services with at least £250 per head less to spend on every man, woman and child in Coventry than we had in 2010, and the aftermath of the recession to deal with.

“We’re continuing to focus on making sure our most vulnerable residents – children and old people alike – continue to be protected, but many other services that Coventry people have come to take for granted can’t be protected in the same way.”

The budget also includes a capital programme – spending on one-off projects – of more than £100million next year.

Coun Gannon said: “This funding can’t be used for ongoing services. We’re really successful as a council in attracting outside money, including government and European grants, to deliver projects.

“They’re important because they help us continue our regeneration work across the city, which is already paying off in terms of increased investment here and will help us become a top ten city again. That has a long term benefit to the city because it increases business rates which help to fund service.

• £13m spend on children’s services.
  
• £6m savings through around 1,000 job losses.
  
• £1m cut to parks budget. Reduced maintenance.
  
• £1m saving through review of social workers across adults and children’s services.
  
• £700,000 reduction in grants to voluntary sector from £11m.
  
• £500,000 saving through ‘customer journey’ strategy, which includes less contact between staff and public.
  
• £500,000 cut to street cleaning services.
  
• £500,000 reduction in spending on public health.
  
• £400,000 reduction in foster care expenditure.
  
• £300,000 reduction in events budget, the equivalent of 40 per cent. Future of Godiva Festival to be reviewed.
  
• £300,000 spend to retain school crossing patrols will be recouped from schools.
  
• £200,000 saving by merging enforcement travel, housing and project management teams.
  
• £130,000 saving through streamlining of governance services.
  
• £100,000 reduction to adult education courses.
  
• £100,000 saved through closure of the Priory Visitor Centre.
  
• £100,000 extra expected to be generated through parking and bus lane fines.
  
• £50,000 saving through moving Tourist Information Centre at the Cathedral to St Mary’s Guildhall.
  
• £50,000 saving by closing Godiva’s Cafe at St Mary’s Guildhall.
  
• £50,000 saving by scrapping some public cabinet member meetings where important decisions are made.
  
• No cuts to highways repair.

[rebbonk]

Perhaps Gannon would like to explain why the council is still top heavy and that the wages at the top are somewhat excessive?

viewtopic.php?p=48296

Start cutting at home Gannon!

[dutchman]

Budget setting: Coventry taxpayers will pay more for less

Coventry council tax payers will pay more for less after a 1.9 per cent tax rise was agreed alongside £15million of budget cuts.

It is a rise equivalent to roughly 40p a week and means the average Band D household will now pay £1,536 - up from £1,507 last year.

The rise is the maximum the council can impose without triggering a referendum and will come into effect from April.

It was approved during the budget meeting of the Labour-controlled Coventry City Council this afternoon.

Savings totalling £15million were also voted through by councillors at the same meeting which will mean citizens face unprecedented cuts to council services.

Funding to services will be scaled back almost universally as a result of a £24million reduction in the central government support grant. That has prompted an ongoing review of every council service and could see council-run sites such as libraries and children’s centres condensed to five central hubs as part of a £5million savings plan know as City Centre First.

There will also be reductions to ongoing expenses like the Godiva Festival and street cleaning.

Tory councillors called for the council to accept a central government freeze grant of £1.26million rather than raising council tax to generate £1.9million directly from Coventry taxpayers - but the suggestion was defeated by the controlling Labour group.

The Conservatives said they would have made up the £650,000 shortfall by reducing the Trade Union Facilities budget by £150,000 and taking the remainder from reserves.

Conservative shadow finance cabinet member Coun Sawdon described Labour finance chief Coun Damian Gannon’s budget speech as a “semi-socialist class-ridden rant.”

Conservative leader Coun John Blundell added: “The council tax freeze grant exists to reduce the strain on hardworking council taxpayers. I think people would be grateful if they didn’t have to pay another two per cent.”

Labour council leader Coun Ann Lucas said: “I understand Coun Sawdon has given up smoking, but he must have kept some of his cigarette packaging because that suggestion was written on the back of a fag packet.”

Coun Gannon said: “I was disappointed with what the Conservatives managed to come up with - some minor tinkering around the edges.

“This budget sets Coventry on the right path. It’s going to be a difficult path but one that protects services and grows the economy.”

The budget and council tax rise was voted through by 38 Labour votes for, to eight Tory votes against.

[rebbonk]

There were other ways...

They could have frozen the council tax (wasn't there a government hand out for that?) and utilised some of the reserves that they have built up over the years. They could axe managerial posts, they could reduce duplication and waste. They could even have canned some projects.

Sadly though, this 'rotten to the core' council has decided to make political capital by hitting services and raising our contributions.