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Author Topic: Council tax increase  (Read 2341 times)

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wolfman

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Re: Council tax increase
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2009, 03:16:23 PM »
Council tax will rise as bosses keep £5m back for emergencies
Peter Devine
March 04, 2009


STOCKPORT Council is to push council tax up by an inflation busting 4.25 per cent.

As Stopfordians face the risk of job losses, pay freezes and a savings crisis and with ‘stagflation’ looming, the local authority will push up council band D bills from the 2008/2009 figure of £1,440.84 to £1,505.71 in 2009/2010.

However, concerns have been raised from opposition councillors about the authority squirreling away £5m into a special contingency fund in case the economic downturn gets much worse.

The latest bills when they hit the doormats will also include Greater Manchester Police and Fire precept rises of 4.5 per cent. And Band D properties in the Offerton Park Parish area will include an extra precept of £6.

During the debate at last week’s meeting of the full council Councillor John Pantall, the executive member for finance, explained: "The council budget will include a separate inflation fund amounting to 2.3 per cent of the authority’s net expenditure - a sum of over £5m.

"This money will only be allocated when there is clear evidence of inflationary pressures on service provision.

"The main core budget is based on continuing to provide the public with the necessary services, linked to changing needs. We do this with efficiency and at a lower cost than elsewhere in Greater Manchester."

Councillor Les Jones, the leader of Stockport Tory group said: "Like budget meetings for the past few years, one theme was constantly offered by the Liberal-Democrats - ‘It isn’t our fault’. Mind you, it is everybody else’s fault, yet they have controlled Stockport Council for the last ten years, so, yes, their failure to manage in previous years has contributed largely to the current situation.

"What is conspicuous about Stockport’s new budget is the absence of any specific investment or spending proposals. I assume that they didn’t expect the opposition groups to notice there is over £5m of unallocated resources, yet, they have not brought any proposals forward to deal with that money."

Councillor Peter Scott, the Labour group leader said: "This year, despite massive increases in Government funding, the council tax bill will be over £1,500, the third highest rate in Greater Manchester.

"There was no acknowledgement that more needs to be done to deal with the gross inequalities between the richest and poorest parts of the borough, or any suggestion that resources need to be directed where they are most needed. Instead, money will continue to be spent where it always has been, in the most prosperous parts of Stockport, while the north of the borough will continue to be without the kind of basic facilities that most people take for granted."

Council Tax charges for 2009-10

Council area  Offerton Park Parish
Band A £1,003.81 Band A £1,047.56
Band B £1,171.09 Band B £1,222.14
Band C £1,338.39 Band C £1,396.73
Band D £1,505.71 Band D £1,571.34
Band E £1,840.32 Band E £1,920.53
Band F £2,174.90 Band F £2,269.71
Band G £2,509.52 Band G £2,618.90
Band H £3,011.41 Band H £3,142.67


from Stockport express online

wolfman

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Re: Council tax increase
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2009, 06:16:26 PM »
At the Budget Council meeting on 26th February, Stockport Council set a Band D Council Tax of £1,505.71 for the 2009-10 financial year. 
 
 
 
This represents a 4.25% increase in the Council-controlled portion of the tax, and when taking into account the Greater Manchester Police and Fire precepts, the increase is 4.50%.

The Council Tax for the Offerton Park Parish area for a Band D property is £1,571.34. This is because there is a precept by Offerton Park Parish Council of £65.63.

Council Tax Charges 2009/2010 Band Council Tax Charge for Stockport Council Tax Charge for Offerton Park Parish
A £1,003.81 £1,047.56
B £1,171.09 £1,222.14
C £1,338.39 £1,396.73
D £1,505.71  £1,571.34
E £1,840.32 £1,920.53
F £2,174.90 £2,269.71
G £2,509.52 £2,618.90
H £3,011.41 £3,142.67

 
 
 

wolfman

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Council tax increase
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2009, 02:11:22 PM »
 Stockport £1,441.43 £1,506.30 4.5% A comprehensive survey by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and the Times published (online) today shows that all local councils have so far kept their rises below 5 per cent to avoid their budgets being capped. A handful of police authorities have however defied the Government and confirmed increases of well over 5 per cent for their share of council tax. The highest hikes have been set by Derbyshire Police, 8.7 per cent and Greater Manchester Police at 7.5 per cent. Many police forces are shedding hundreds of jobs due to tight budgets this year

source Times online