12:00pm Monday 8th March 2010
A FOUR-HOUR long debate ended in Cheshire West and Chester Council raising council tax by 2.5 per cent.
The rise – which is one per cent below inflation – will equate to an average weekly rise of 49p across the eight council tax bands.
But speaking at the full council meeting on Thursday, Clr Les Ford said the increase would have been less if the Government had given CWAC more money.
He said the Formula Grant allocation of £93.482million had been a rise of 2.06 per cent, but one per cent less than the average awarded to all unitary councils.
“The average settlement of 3.05 per cent would have meant an extra £900,000, which would have enabled us to have achieved a rise of 1.8 per cent.
“Even so, West Cheshire’s Band D figure of £1,254.59 – a weekly increase of 59p – was still £180 below the national average.”
Agreed by 45 votes to 17 with one abstention, the budget will raise £151million from council tax payers and provide a total of £244.296million to finance council activities.
Opposition amendments aimed at saving more than £1.8million with cuts to corporate training, contingencies, capital funding and vacancy management were all heavily defeated.
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