Poole council tax rise on cards

2:00pm Saturday 23rd February 2013 in News By Diana Henderson

Cllr Elaine Atkinson Cllr Elaine Atkinson

POOLE residents could face a 1.95 per cent hike in council tax if the minority Conservative administration gets its recommendations through full council on Tuesday.

It will be a numbers game on the night with Borough of Poole made up of 20 Conservatives, 18 Liberal Democrats and four Poole People councillors.

Council leader Cllr Elaine Atkinson will tell members that, unlike neighbouring Bournemouth, her administration wants to raise council tax to balance the budget.

It would mean a weekly rise for residents of 41p for a band A property, 45p for band D, rising to £1.23 for band H if the proposal is voted through.

“We are declining the government’s offer of a freeze grant, equivalent to one per cent of council tax,” she said. “The cap they have put on is 2 per cent.

“To take it would leave a deficit of over £500,000 in 2013/14 and in perpetuity as this grant is for two years only.”

She said: “Even doing that we will still have the lowest council tax in Dorset.”

But not increasing council tax would mean having to find an extra £500,000 on top of cuts, savings and efficiencies which has seen the £95million net budget of 2009/10 slashed by £32m over the last three years.

“We have had to find one third of our budget with on-going savings up until this point,” said Adam Richens, acting head of financial services. “There will be more to come over the next few years.”

One in 10 posts has been cut, including at top management level and continuing pressures on the council range from the ageing population to the baby boom.

Residents claiming council tax benefit will have to pay 8.5 per cent of council tax after the borough accepted a transition grant from government, while Bournemouth Council has set the figure at 20 per cent.

Cllr Atkinson has plans for that £500,000, investing it in growth. “I believe by investing half-a-million we can achieve match funding or more. Poole will benefit from about £1m,” she said.

Meanwhile she continues to lobby government over poorly funded Poole.

“We need lasting solutions, not quick fixes,” said chief executive John McBride. “There isn’t a single solution to this problem.”

But leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group Mike Brooke said they had proposed an alternative budget with a zero per cent increase – which he says still balances the books for the next two years taking into account the ‘freeze grants’ on offer from the government.

He told the Echo: “People are being hit very hard by just about everything at the moment. With the reforms to the council tax benefit system – where people not paying council tax before will now have to pay some – what we call the working poor, on a low wage and just on the margins of benefits, will be hit twice. We are saying that is unfair.”

Comments(31)

alasdair1967 says...
2:35pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Here we go yet another increase in expenditure no disrespect to my employer but I have not had a pay rise in near on 3 years yet the cost of living has increased ever since

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muscliffman says...
3:06pm Sat 23 Feb 13

How much of this proposed rise will be going to staff wages/pensions, consultants and Councillor expenses and not be helping to maintain frontline services? When we are nearly all on frozen or reducing wages and many are facing or experiencing redundancy 1p would be too much.

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BIGTONE says...
3:42pm Sat 23 Feb 13

These muppets down the clown hall don't get it do they?
The Government are reducing your grants and squeezing you because THEY WANT YOU TO USE SOME OF YOUR RESERVES STASHED AWAY.
Putting up council tax will be a very bad move as Eric Pickles has warned.
You will be heavily penalised for your greed.

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Tripod says...
4:47pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Sorry BIGTONE but it's not Clown Hall who will be penalised for their greed, it's US the Tax Payers who will always end-up paying the price, one way or another.
And Yes, I fully agree, they should dig into the reserves of OUR money they have stashed away.

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Dr Strangelove says...
4:50pm Sat 23 Feb 13

The government policy is to raise prices let inflation rip whats wrong with council tax rising after all we all celebrate when our houses rise in price.

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Dr Strangelove says...
4:55pm Sat 23 Feb 13

muscliffman wrote:
How much of this proposed rise will be going to staff wages/pensions, consultants and Councillor expenses and not be helping to maintain frontline services? When we are nearly all on frozen or reducing wages and many are facing or experiencing redundancy 1p would be too much.
I thought you lived in b,mouth?

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live-and-let-live says...
5:11pm Sat 23 Feb 13

heres a bunch of clowns who dont want our votes.

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djkent says...
5:23pm Sat 23 Feb 13

keep her and the rest of the fatcats in big cars and food

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paul.p says...
6:15pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Why is it that if you're made redundant and have savings above a certain level you have to dig into that yet when it comes to a council that has millions in the bank paid for by the Tax payer to be spent on the Tax payer they don't spend it...the usual 'rainy day' scenario...

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Seabeam says...
6:23pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Plenty of people live on rockley park and dont pay a penny council tax. Collect the tax from these freeloaders and maybe a rise wouldn't be on the cards.

Also, why are we paying more because we live in a tourist area, leasure and tourism departments could close altogether.

We seem to be subsidising tourists through our councol tax in so many ways.

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Dr Strangelove says...
6:53pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Seabeam wrote:
Plenty of people live on rockley park and dont pay a penny council tax. Collect the tax from these freeloaders and maybe a rise wouldn't be on the cards.

Also, why are we paying more because we live in a tourist area, leasure and tourism departments could close altogether.

We seem to be subsidising tourists through our councol tax in so many ways.
"leasure and tourism departments could close altogether" Whys that then?

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MJD says...
7:09pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Here we go again. Extra to have your green bins emptied. Now 1.9 on council tax. Next elections you will still vote the Conservatives in..

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live-and-let-live says...
7:23pm Sat 23 Feb 13

perhaps the council could tell us how much is in the bank?
perhaps the council could stop wasting money on senseless projects such as the patch of grass outside of poole swimming pool?
how much will be wasted on rebuild the gyratory system that wasnt designed properly from the start. if i managed my house in the same way as this council, i'd have to sell up and live in a caravan

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l'anglais says...
8:19pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Seabeam wrote:
Plenty of people live on rockley park and dont pay a penny council tax. Collect the tax from these freeloaders and maybe a rise wouldn't be on the cards.

Also, why are we paying more because we live in a tourist area, leasure and tourism departments could close altogether.

We seem to be subsidising tourists through our councol tax in so many ways.
I think you'll find that the tourists are subsidising you!

20% of council budget comes from Council Tax

80% comes from other tax sources ie. all of UK's tax payers, some of whom are your tourists.

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apm1954 says...
8:31pm Sat 23 Feb 13

should it not read 38 tories 4 poole people,one in ten posts have been lost not one cllr i note , ex lib dem cllr 1990- 2001

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muscliffman says...
8:40pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Dr Strangelove wrote:
muscliffman wrote:
How much of this proposed rise will be going to staff wages/pensions, consultants and Councillor expenses and not be helping to maintain frontline services? When we are nearly all on frozen or reducing wages and many are facing or experiencing redundancy 1p would be too much.
I thought you lived in b,mouth?
This is a controversial proposal from local Councillor members of a UK political Party who are quoting national UK Government spending policies - comment is surely not therefore restricted to just Poole Council-tax paying residents?

I welcome the regular contributions from Poole residents concerning Bournemouth Council's conduct, especially as we are inevitably going to become common residents of the same single authority 'City' - probably any time soon.

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Letcommonsenseprevail says...
8:42pm Sat 23 Feb 13

live-and-let-live wrote:
perhaps the council could tell us how much is in the bank?
perhaps the council could stop wasting money on senseless projects such as the patch of grass outside of poole swimming pool?
how much will be wasted on rebuild the gyratory system that wasnt designed properly from the start. if i managed my house in the same way as this council, i'd have to sell up and live in a caravan
Don't speak to soon........

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i have heard it all now says...
8:44pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Wake up you Fat cats,The Rainy Day was yesterday!!!!!!!!

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Dr Strangelove says...
9:05pm Sat 23 Feb 13

muscliffman wrote:
Dr Strangelove wrote:
muscliffman wrote:
How much of this proposed rise will be going to staff wages/pensions, consultants and Councillor expenses and not be helping to maintain frontline services? When we are nearly all on frozen or reducing wages and many are facing or experiencing redundancy 1p would be too much.
I thought you lived in b,mouth?
This is a controversial proposal from local Councillor members of a UK political Party who are quoting national UK Government spending policies - comment is surely not therefore restricted to just Poole Council-tax paying residents?

I welcome the regular contributions from Poole residents concerning Bournemouth Council's conduct, especially as we are inevitably going to become common residents of the same single authority 'City' - probably any time soon.
What's wrong with things going up? Petrol gas food elec tax council tax and houses its osbournes policy to inflate prices. So if your house went down in price that would be good as you say wages are at best static but in real terms falling so the cheaper thing are the better.

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boyerboy says...
11:05pm Sat 23 Feb 13

Ever wonder what would happen if all us Council tax payers cried ENOUGH and on mass just stopped paying.....?

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Baywolf says...
12:12am Sun 24 Feb 13

So ways to save money from local councils, a directive from the central government ..and Poole residents are now clobbered with council tax please note not one councillor has come foreward to take a pay cut or drop their expenses not even its leader That Atkinson woman.

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billd766 says...
1:19am Sun 24 Feb 13

Why does Poole with a population of 147,000 only rate 1 MP while the local council consists of 24 councillors?
If one person can represent 147,000 does that mean that 1 councillor represents only 6,125 constituents and why is there such a big difference?

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EGHH says...
7:03am Sun 24 Feb 13

alasdair1967 wrote:
Here we go yet another increase in expenditure no disrespect to my employer but I have not had a pay rise in near on 3 years yet the cost of living has increased ever since
Not to sound like the Monty Python sketch I've not had pay rise since 2008 when the banks started the recession.

This proposed rise is typical of Tories though. They do not realise that their policies are hitting the majority who are struggling to heat their homes and feed their families yet they want to squeeze us further.

I'm not holding out any hope of the LibDems to vote against it as they are Cameron's lap dogs. And the Poole's People Party do not have enough votes.

If it goes through blame the LibDems, they gave us this hopeless coalition for their moment of power. Hope they make the most of it, as they'll never get again this century.

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EGHH says...
7:05am Sun 24 Feb 13

MJD wrote:
Here we go again. Extra to have your green bins emptied. Now 1.9 on council tax. Next elections you will still vote the Conservatives in..
Agreed. This is a Tory hat stand area. Put a blue rosette on a hat stand and it will get elected.

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DiggerRuss says...
11:22am Sun 24 Feb 13

This council made a big deal about charging for green bins. From speaking to someone in the council they now make a profit from this service yet continue to charge without telling the taxpayer. Where do all these sneaky profits go? Are figures like this included in their revenues or just hidden?

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l'anglais says...
4:49pm Sun 24 Feb 13

live-and-let-live wrote:
perhaps the council could tell us how much is in the bank?
perhaps the council could stop wasting money on senseless projects such as the patch of grass outside of poole swimming pool?
how much will be wasted on rebuild the gyratory system that wasnt designed properly from the start. if i managed my house in the same way as this council, i'd have to sell up and live in a caravan
Ah, but before you have to move into your Caravan, you can go cap in hand to some high earner in London, an they'll bail.
When will Dorsetshire's finest start paying their way?

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manyogie says...
7:09pm Sun 24 Feb 13

I see from the published salary's list Cllr Atknsons salary has risen from 18K to 32K since 2009.
That's the bottom line people. Sod you, I,m alright.
Cheers Councilors.

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Baywolf says...
7:54pm Sun 24 Feb 13

£32,000? For what exactly? What does she do? Apart from gracing her face on tv at every opportunity to give us Tory spin and to convince the world that Poole is open for business..yeah ..so Atkinson just how do you justify your obscene pay structure compared to employees within your council on less than £18,000 and had their pay frozen for three years... Want to go on BBC and answer that?

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guisselle says...
12:29am Mon 25 Feb 13

Bureaucracy gone mad and there is
no civility in the service!

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guisselle says...
1:59am Mon 25 Feb 13

Come on Poole Party step up! Mark
Howells the man to watch?

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Dr Strangelove says...
9:47am Tue 26 Feb 13

What's the problem with council tax going up? Everything else is going up petrol gas food and houses. I read only yesterday that it is to be celebrated that asking prices for houses has gone up whats the difference with council tax going up after all it's less than inflation?

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