The South Glos Post

South Gloucestershire residents could see their council tax bills frozen for a second year running.

At its next meeting, the Council’s Conservative Cabinet plans to ask residents for their views on a second council tax freeze as part of a consultation on next year’s council budget.

Council tax rises have fallen steadily since the Conservatives started running South Gloucestershire Council as a minority administration in 2007 and bills were frozen this year.

In contrast, council tax rose by over 12 per cent in just one year under the Lib Dems.

Cllr John Calway (Con, Longwell Green), the authority’s Conservative Leader, said:

“These are tough times for local households with the cost of living continuing to increase.”

“It’s right that the council does its bit to ease the pain where it can and so we’re asking residents if they would back another freeze in their council tax bills.”

More: Council is "bearing down" on management costs »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

Payments for council services made through South Gloucestershire’s post offices and local shops have rocketed by 59 per cent in the last year, new figures reveal.

Despite strong opposition from Labour and Lib Dem councillors, the authority’s Conservative administration transferred its cash payments service out of council’s three offices and into the larger existing network of local shops and post offices.

This was done last year to give residents greater choice of payment locations closer to them, to support local businesses and to make savings that have since been re-invested into building the council’s fourth one-stop-shop in Patchway, which opened this summer.

But Labour and the Lib Dems voted against the plans.

New figures have now revealed that, prior to the changes in 2010, approximately 60,000 transactions were made for council services through local post offices and shops, but this year has seen the figure leap to 95,000, so an increase of about 35,000, or 59 per cent.

Only Conservatives are committed to helping local traders, says councillor »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

The independent inspector tasked with determining if South Gloucestershire Council’s draft Core Strategy is ‘legal and sound’ has halted the examination process because he feels the document needs more work in a number of key areas.

The inspector wrote to the council on 15th August detailing his concerns and giving the council the options of either withdrawing the plan and resubmitting it at a later date or suspending the examination for up to six months to allow additional work to be carried out.

Areas in which the inspector considers more work to be necessary include:

• Providing a detailed breakdown of the differences in the approach to assessing and meeting housing needs between the Core Strategy and the Regional Strategy
• Undertaking an assessment of the Green Belt
• Providing a more detailed analysis of the potential use of Filton Airfield
• Indicating what consequences arise from the redevelopment of Filton Airfield for other parts of the Core Strategy
• Undertaking any necessary revisions to the Sustainability Appraisal as a result of further work which is carried out to support the Core Strategy
• Ensuring appropriate consultation is undertaken in light of any revisions to be made to the Core Strategy

Read on for the council’s response to the inspector »

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is now making it even easier for people to recycle their cardboard waste by providing local residents with a free bag.

The reusable recycling bags for cardboard have been delivered to local libraries, leisure centres and a wide range of local community outlets, from where they are now available for residents to collect.

Executive Member for Communities, Cllr James Hunt said: “We have listened to the views of residents who are keen to recycle as much cardboard as possible and these bags will help us to increase the amount of cardboard that is recycled, reduce contamination of the green bin and make the streets tidier.”

“We are aware that some residents do not want additional containers therefore cardboard presented neatly at the kerbside in other containers will continue to be collected as normal.”

Cardboard is no longer collected from the green wheeled bin as it is now being recycled, rather than composted down with garden waste, allowing it to be used again and again, which is more environmentally friendly.

More info: Cardboard recycling bag distribution points and latest stock levels (SGC)

Source: South Gloucestershire Council