Wednesday night (19 February 2014) was Bury’s annual ‘Budget Council’. This is an important meeting where Councillors set the budget and Council Tax rate for the following financial year (from 1 April 2014).

Headlines
– Council Tax rise will be 0% for 2014-15 (although there will be a small rise as the Labour Police Commission has put up his element of the Council Tax). This has been made possibly be a £772,000 grant from Government (equivalent to a 1.2% rise in Council Tax on condition that the Council froze the tax).

– £500,000 to improve Bury New Road through Prestwich.

– Council (Six Town Housing) house rents will go up by an average of 2.5%

– The Council has decided to spend £12.4 million on improvements to council (Six Town Housing) houses over the next three years.

We are really pleased that the Council has frozen Council Tax for 2014-15 thanks to the grant from the Government. It is a shame that the Council didn’t do the same thing when a free grant was offered last year (instead we all had a 2.5% rise or 6.8% for over 60s).

We also really welcome the investment in Bury New Road. Liberal Democrats have been campaigning for this as you will have seen in our leaflets and emails. Only a month ago we wrote to the Council’s Executive Director asking for just this, so it is great that the Council has seen sense.

Liberal Democrat Proposals (voted down by Labour)

– £2 million investment in repairing roads and pavements (taken from balances)

– An additional £200,000 to improve Bury New Road through Prestwich

– £200,000 a year (for three years) to pay for a shop unit (e.g. at the Longfield) to be converted into a centre to help young people into employment.

– £200,000 LESS spent on management costs by changing the way that the Council is structured.

Bury’s roads and pavements are at breaking point with pot-holes and uneven surfaces wherever you look. It is a disgrace that Labour Councillors voted against £4 million of investment in roads (£2 million proposed by us and a further £2 million proposed by the Conservative councillors). This is despite the fact that the Council seem happy to pay out over £3 million in compensation for uneven roads and pavements in the last three years!

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

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