Town hall to freeze tax bills (From Bury Times)

Town hall to freeze tax bills

9:22am Thursday 19th January 2012 in News

COUNCIL tax bills in Bury are likely to be frozen for the second year in succession.

But a political war of words has broken out after Bury Council’s ruling Labour group was accused of performing a “significant u-turn”.

Town Hall leaders are recommending council tax is frozen for 2012/13, amid claims from Conservatives that the Labour leadership had been planning a 3.5 per cent increase every year, for the next three years, as detailed in the local authority’s Plan for Change document. But council leader Mike Connolly has described the allegations as “absolute nonsense”.

Conservative group finance spokesman Cllr Iain Gartside also claimed that in October the Labour group voted down a motion calling for a freeze in council tax.

The budget proposals will go before a special council meeting on February 22 citing a zero per cent rise.

Cllr Connolly said: “We feel that the council should do what it can to help residents, rather than add to their financial worries.

“So, despite the massive grants cuts imposed by the Government on Bury, we think that the council tax should be frozen for next year.”

The local authority has just finished its public consultation on the Plan for Change which outlines its priorities and spending plans for the next three years, a period in which the authority has to find savings of £18 million.

Cllr Connolly added: “Our full budget proposals will not be ready for some time, but I felt it was important to let residents know as early as possible that we won’t be proposing any rise in council tax.”

Cllr John Smith, executive member for finance, added: “The money lost by freezing the tax this year will be lost forever and there will be no extra grant next year, which will leave us with a £2 million hole in our budget in 2013/14.”

Although welcoming the expected council tax freeze, Cllr Gartside said: “This is a significant u-turn by the Labour party in Bury. They appear to have finally listened to the Conservative councillors on Bury Council and the residents of Bury in reluctantly agreeing to freeze council tax. It was, of course, a Conservative council in April, 2011, that began the freeze on council tax.”

Cllr Connolly said that the Government’s own figures had always assumed a 3.5 per rise in council tax.

But he added: “We don’t want to burden council taxpayers with any big council tax bills. We’ve listened to the public and decided we’ll accept the Government’s offer of a council tax freeze.

“But it must be understood that will mean extra cuts next year. This is not a u-turn but it shows we’re acting responsibly on behalf of the people of this town.”