District tax goes up £2 (From Witney Gazette)

District tax goes up £2

2:29pm Tuesday 7th March 2006 in Witney By Andrew Alexander

AN argument over West Oxfordshire's finances broke out as the district council agreed a £2 rise in council tax.

With West Oxfordshire District Council's portion of the levy set at £68, the owner of a band D property in Witney will pay a bill of £1,293.76 for the next financial year.

Opposition Liberal Democrat councillors criticised the annual budget, which council leader, Barry Norton, said was 'the best possible deal' for taxpayers.

He told the meeting on March 1: "The mood of the public is in general hostile towards increases in council tax which are considerably above the rate of inflation.

"They are, however, beginning to understand our message that the imposition of additional duties and burden upon councils by central Government is the root cause of council tax increases.

"With today's recommendations, we, for our part, are saying loud and clear that we hear their concerns, and we are doing everything possible to deliver the services they require, including all the additional services imposed by Government, at the lowest possible overall cost to the council taxpayer, and with the lowest possible increase that we can sustain."

"The mood of the public is in general hostile towards increases in council tax which are considerably above the rate of inflation."

Council leader Barry Norton

He outlined a number of areas of increased spending, including street cleaning and rubbish collection, with new grants for the Citizens Advice Bureau and an expansion of the Witney shopmobility scheme.

Liberal Democrats criticised the ruling Conservative group for failing to take account of the council's long-term money problems. In the next financial year, it will use £1.205m of its revenue balances, leaving just under £11m in the bank by April 2007.

Councillor Stuart Brooks said: "This budget does nothing to address the situation, it merely tinkers while the cabinet waits for some external solution to arrive. With no strategy to improve it, the situation will get worse year on year on year."

He proposed an amendment to the budget to increase council tax by an extra pound, to £69. The extra revenue would be used to increase the value of free transport tokens for the over-60s, from £31 to £33, and to exempt village halls, museums, theatres, and rural post offices from paying tax to the council.

Liberal Democrats argued their proposals would help the elderly and those living in small villages, but Conservative councillor Simon Hoare described their reasons for wanting to raise the tax as 'flippant'. He said: "It would seem the West Oxfordshire edition of the infamous orange book has been lost in the post here we see the traditional Liberal Democrat tax and spend. These are not serious proposals at all. The people of West Oxfordshire expect better."

The amendment was defeated, and the budget passed.