COUNCIL TAX FROZEN FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

First Published by: Portsmouth Express

COUNCILLORS in Lib Dem-run Portsmouth have decided to freeze Council Tax for the third year running.

They have also decided on a budget designed to protect services for vulnerable people, and invest more than £30M in projects that will pave the way for more homes and jobs.

The Portsmouth City Council budget also shows that efficiency measures within the organisation are on track, and expected to save millions of pounds.

The council’s share of the Council Tax bill will stay at £1,149.12 tax for band D house. The total for a band D property, used as the national benchmark, will be £1,361.50, including Police and Fire Authority.

But most Portsmouth residents are in band B, and will pay £1,058.94 or less.

Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson (pictured left with local residents), Leader of the council, said: “Government is cutting our funding by over 28% between 2011/12 and 2014/15, and we have to reduce spending by £54m in that period.

“However, to protect residents’ pockets we’ve frozen Council Tax again. “And rather than make severe cuts to services that residents need, almost all of the £8m we need to save in the 2012/13 financial year will come from changing the internal processes of the council to make them more efficient.

“We believe we can save £30m this way, over the next three years.“We are employing fewer people and reducing the number of senior managers. “We’re also looking to the future by investing more than £30m in the road system. We plan to build a new motorway junction at Tipner, opening that area up to development, including badly-needed new homes.

“We also plan to change the layout of the main route through the city centre, making journeys easier and making the proposed Northern Quarter shopping development an even more attractive proposition.

“We’re also modernising residential care, to the tune of more than £6.6m. “Another £3.7m will be used to improve school buildings that badly need work. “A big priority for us was to cope with a rising demand for children’s care and social care for adults.

The work we do in caring for looked-after children and people with disabilities is often invisible to most Council Tax payers. We’re proud to provide it, but it’s very expensive, with some people needing care costing around £1/4million a year.

“I’m glad to say that the overall financial health of the council remains strong.”

READ WHAT: ERIC PICKLES ‘SECRETARY OF STATE’ SAYS ABOUT OVER-CHARGED COUNCIL TAX.

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