Page 6 - link magazine

6 The Link Magazine • January 2005
Council tax 2005. What do you want to pay?

Swindon's council tax rise next April could be 3 per cent as proposed by the Conservative administration, based on efficiency savings,
reductions in staffing levels and cuts to voluntary organisations, or 19.2 per cent if these measures are not implemented.
But before Swindon Council • a reduction in the cultural and Once again central Government the town receives 12 per cent less
makes a final decision it will be arts programme run by Swindon appears to have dealt a bad deal on than the average which represents
asking citizens to comment on how Artscape; Swindon. Although its contribu- £376 per pupil per year less in
much they want to pay. tion has gone up by 5.6 per cent,
• £252,000 reduction in grants to 2004/5. We also receive 23 percent
Three per cent represents an voluntary organisations; the national average increase is 6.4 below the average for youth serv-
average increase of £28 per year per cent and significantly less than ices and 1 per cent below average
for a band D property. • reorganisation of management neighbouring authorities like Wilt- for social services.
Proposed efficiency measures to at STEAM; shire County Council and South "I hope that Swindon people will
redirect £10 million to Social Serv- • restricting funding for emer- Gloucestershire which both re- contribute to the debate about the
ices(anextra£4.6million)andEdu- gency care for older people and ceived 9.4 per cent of extra cash. level of council tax that should be
cation (extra £5 million) would disabled; Milton Keynes gets over 11 per paid for local services."
come from: • cutting the subsidy to the Wilt- cent more. The final budget decision rests
• shedding 123 jobs, by voluntary shire Festival; Councillor Nick Martin, cabinet with the full council meeting on 10
and compulsory redundancies and • charging more for burials and lead member for finance, said February.
scrapping 53 currently vacant posts councillors on his Budget Task From early January council tax
cremations.
- some already underway; Group and officers had taken a payers can express their view on
I A well publicised £30,000 grant prudent approach in predicting the the level of tax increase that should
cut to HomeStart was not supposed
Central Government settlement to take place:
to have been proposed. Jan arrive at the proposed council tax
Aylward, manager of the charity increase, but it was very frustrat- • at www.swindon.gov.uk;
which places trained volunteers ing that Swindon continues to get • by filling in a questionnaire at
with parents struggling to cope less than other authorities. "Over the Civic Offices in Euclid Street;
with under 5s, said, "I was com- the last ten years Central Govern- • by attending public meetings
pletely shocked to be told that ment support for local government chaired by the Leader of the Coun-
funding was to be cut when we has fallen from 75 per cent to 66 cil on 4 and 10 January, 6pm to
had only just signed a service per cent, whilst expecting local au- 7pm, in the Council Chamber at
agreement with the social services thorities to take on more services, the Civic Offices;
department. like licensing, and work to higher • by writing to the Leader of the
"When a council officer called to standards of service delivery. This
explain it was a mistake, my relief year alone the council is faced with Council at the Civic Offices, Eu-
clid Street, Swindon.
turned to anger when I had to tell £18 million of new spending pres- Local people will also be sur-
him where to find the error on the
Call our Swindon office tel/fax: sures. veyed through the 'Swindon Peo-
council's web site.
01793 704 089 "We have long complained that ple's Voice' group and in-depth
[email protected] "You cannot believe the stress Swindon doesn't get a fair share of views will be gathered at a work-
this put us under."
www.vitlas-in-spain.biz the Government pot - a pupil in shop in January.

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