WHY HAS YOUR COUNCIL TAX GONE UP?
Statement from Councillor Malcolm Buckley, leader of Basildon Council.
I believe in low taxation. The Council’s Administration believes in low taxation – so why is your Council Tax costing you even more than last year when pensions and wages are struggling to keep pace with inflation?
Firstly, the Council has been required by the government to take on additional costs for the new countrywide pensioners bus pass scheme, without the funding to pay for it. The extra cost to Basildon tax payers is £630,000 equivalent to 4.3% extra Council Tax.
Secondly, the Government told Basildon Council that it would only increase our grant support by 1.4% against their recognised inflation rate of 2.7%. Salary increases (fixed by government under national negotiations) and fuel costs rising substantially above the government figure have added even more to the Council Tax bill.
Without these and other additional costs the Council Tax bill would have been significantly less and more in line with our stated aims.
This Council has an excellent track record for sound financial management, value for money and cutting out waste. Last year we identified efficiency savings of some £0.7 million. Further savings will be made this year as we plan for the future and all of this has helped to keep the council tax increase down.
Last year your Council made it clear that Basildon’s future prosperity will depend on our ability to embrace and plan for jobs, homes and high quality facilities across the District. We said doing nothing was not an option and despite the many challenges we have kept our promise.
An exciting programme of regeneration has been launched which will touch every corner of our District. This year we shall finalise agreements with development partners to deliver the new Town Centres in Basildon and Wickford. In Laindon work will start very soon and Pitsea is in the pipeline. Our plans will deliver new homes, new jobs, better healthcare and better shopping and leisure facilities for our communities.
Further investment continues in regenerating our housing estates and improving the quality of life for our tenants. We are strongly backing St Georges’s Community Housing bid for additional funding to improve the standard of the District’s housing stock.
Perhaps less glamorous, but just as vital, has been the continuing improvements in the day to day work of the Council and its services. We are improving access to our services through the internet and by modernising the public access to Council buildings.
Cleaner streets and a drive against graffiti are continuing priorities to make our streets more attractive and safer. We continue to promote recycling as a benefit to our environment. Over a third of our domestic refuse is now recycled and we are striving to do even better
Your Council also remains absolutely committed to continuing with the weekly refuse collection.
We continue our unrelenting efforts to protect the greenbelt from unauthorised development and will continue to use all legal powers whenever breaches occur.
This year’s council tax increase for Basildon Council will be 4.468 % This is equal to 20 pence a week extra at Band D.
Although we are deeply disappointed by the government’s unrealistic funding policies, we remain determined to be bold and uncompromising in our drive to make life better for our residents, improve services, pursue our ambitious regeneration plans, protect the vulnerable and meet all of the Council’s responsibilities.
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