The South Glos Post

Plans to freeze South Gloucestershire’s Council Tax for a second year running will be considered by Cabinet at its next meeting on Monday 6th February.

If agreed, the proposals will have saved the average household over £50 per year over the two years.

The revenue budget and Council Tax proposals for 2012/13 aim to keep costs as low as possible for local taxpayers, while delivering savings through greater efficiency, reducing duplication and waste and transforming the way that the council works.

The Council Tax freeze would be achieved by taking advantage of a Government grant of £2.8m in 2012/13.

Other key features of this year’s budget proposals include:

• Extra funding of £5.6m over the next three years for community care services to meet additional demand
• Additional council funding to maintain planned school improvements first set out last year, as well as support for school energy efficiency improvements
• Plans to use the district’s New Homes Bonus allocation to support additional investment in infrastructure, protect front line services and support new initiatives in communities that have seen new housing growth
• A total of £43m of efficiency and transformation savings to be achieved by 2014/15, of which over £24m over the next three years have already been agreed

More: Residents were asked to prioritise services »

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

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Labour councillors in South Gloucestershire have denounced a reliance on developing Filton Airfield to deliver a Government-appointed inspector’s higher housing demands.

In a revision to the Core Strategy, South Gloucestershire Council’s 15-year planning framework just published, the new homes supply number for South Gloucestershire is proposed to increase by 4,855 (to 26,435) – with 81% of this additional number to be located on Filton Airfield and the neighbouring Cribbs Causeway/Patchway area.

Added to those already in the original plan, this will result in 5,700 new homes in the area. This is despite the strategic economic importance of the airfield, the widespread local support for it to remain, and existing congestion problems.

The strategy is being revised to meet the demands of a Government-appointed inspector who told South Gloucestershire in August that he wanted the authority to do work to identify locations for an increased number of new homes. Labour councillors have consistently opposed the redevelopment of the airfield and are now arguing that BAE Systems’ decision to close the Airfield is being used by the council as a short-term windfall to plug the gap.

Labour Group Leader Cllr Andy Perkins (Labour, Woodstock) said:

“We know that the Government inspector wants more new homes in addition to the 21,500 initially planned, despite high-profile Conservative and Liberal Democrat election campaigns against growth above this figure.”

More: Airfield site to become "dumping ground" for new homes »

Source: South Gloucestershire Labour

Councillors are set to consider the latest revision of South Gloucestershire’s Core Strategy at a series of meetings next week, following the publication of updates demanded by the independent inspector responsible for examining the document.

The strategy sets out the overarching development vision and strategy for South Gloucestershire until 2026 and aims to deliver the new homes, jobs and services that are needed to sustain the district’s communities, without compromising their separate identifies, character or the local high-quality environment.

The document is the culmination of an extensive consultation process and has been shaped by all three political parties on the council as well as community leaders and local residents.

The strategy was originally submitted to the Secretary of State in March 2011 but the inspector charged with examining it said in August 2011 that it needed more work in a number of key areas and he agreed to allow the council six months to update it.

The updates, affecting key topics such as housing provision, green belt policy, the proposed closure of Filton Airfield and sustainability have now been prepared by council officers and will be considered by councillors at the following meetings next week:

• Joint Meeting of Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Select Committee, Development Control (East) and Development Control (West) Committees (Monday 12th December)
• Cabinet (Tuesday 13th December)
• Full Council (Wednesday 14th December)

Links to the revised Core Strategy document and documents outlining the changes that have been made can be found here.

More: Revised plan accepts closure of Filton Airfield and earmarks site for housing and employment »

South Gloucestershire residents are being urged to have their say on the council’s budget and tax priorities for 2012/13.

Wednesday 16th November sees the launch of a series of roadshows throughout the district where residents can discuss plans for the coming year.

And people can also go to the council’s website to share their views via an online forum, or use a ‘budget calculator’ to have their own try at balancing the books.

Each year South Gloucestershire Council spends approximately £340m on services but financial pressures mean that savings of £42m per year will be needed by 2014/15.

For 2012/13, the council wants to know which services should be its top priority, and how it could deliver further value for money.

Of particular interest are residents’ views on the level of council tax for next year, and on how resources to support development growth should be invested.

The online consultation can be viewed at www.southglos.gov.uk/budget. Residents can also share their views with the consultation team on 01454 868 154, email consultation@southglos.gov.uk or by writing to the council via Freepost RRZE-CTRG-TJLJ, Budget Consultation, Council Offices, Castle Street, Thornbury BS35 1HF.

More: Consultation events and meetings »

Source: South Gloucestershire Council