Yesterday Portsmouth City Council agreed to continue the freeze of council tax thanks to a £1.7 million Government grant announced by Conservative Chancellor George Osborne in the budget.
The grant from the Conservative led government allows the Council to freeze council tax for the third year running - A move that was supported by councillors from the three political parties.
After a lengthy meeting, Councillors rejected calls from the Unions and PACT to raise council tax and spend the council’s reserves on reversing some of the proposed efficiency savings and job cuts and instead agreed to push on with the changes and find £8 million of savings.
The budgets that were presented by the three political groups yesterday were remarkably similar, but this did not stop angry exchanges between Conservative and Lib Dem councillors over Conservative proposals to stop sickness pay to council employees for the first three days of absence, a move that would have saved the Council, £100,000s. The Conservative group said that they would use this money to eliminate council parking charges in the City on Tuesdays, to encourage people to come into the City and use businesses and shops from Southsea to Cosham. Conservative Group Leader said this would boost growth, but his claims were dismissed by Lib Dems and the proposal was defeated.
All councillors agreed on budget proposals designed to protect services for vulnerable people, and invest in projects that will pave the way for more homes and jobs, most notably at Tipner, which could see up to 1,500 jobs created on this site, thanks to a Government grant to build a second slip road off the M275.
The council’s share of the council tax bill will stay at £1,149.12 tax for band D house with 87 per cent of households in the City rated below this level.
The police share remains at £146.52, while the fire service’s share has stayed at £61.38.
This means that the total for a band D property, used as the national benchmark, will be £1,356.75 and a band B property will pay £1,055.25.
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