Council tax in South Gloucestershire will increase by 4.99 percent from April 2024 after councillors approved next year’s budget. The financial plan includes “investing in cost-of-living support”, as well as taking action on climate change and helping residents cut down on their energy bills. The latest increase follows on the heels of an identical hike of 4.99 percent that took effect from April 2023.
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Council leaders are set to rubber-stamp plans to double the cost of garden waste collections and introduce car parking charges in South Glos despite huge opposition from residents. Cuts to the council tax reduction scheme (CTRS) – benefits that help the poorest households pay the bill – and shorter library opening hours are also included in the local authority’s annual budget.
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South Glos Council’s joint Lib Dem & Labour Cabinet will meet next week to consider proposals for next year’s budget that include details of “incredibly difficult” decisions to reduce spending and increase charges. The new draft budget does not propose to make new savings, but does provide details of cost-cutting that was approved in the Conservatives’ last budget agreed in February.
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Crackdowns are being launched to tackle littering and landlords who fail to bring rented homes up to energy standards, after South Gloucestershire Council approved its budget for 2023/24. As expected, council tax will rise by 4.99 percent from April 2023, taking the authority’s portion of bills for middle Band D households up by £87.47 to £1,752.11.
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South Gloucestershire Council’s ruling Conservatives have been accused of “pretending they can solve” a £29.3 million budget shortfall “caused” by their own party’s government. The authority’s Cabinet agreed a raft of proposed cuts on Monday 5th December 2022, despite many of them lacking details. However they include garden waste collection subscriptions increasing from £30 to £55 a year…
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Green waste collections will nearly double in price, street lights will be dimmed and staffed library hours reduced under South Glos Council plans to plug a £29.3 million shortfall. The authority has revealed dozens of proposed measures, including cuts to frontline services and redundancies, to balance its 2023/24 budget.
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Labour’s leader in South Gloucestershire has accused the district’s Tories and Liberal Democrats of pretending that the council does not face cuts in its services. This afternoon, councillors on the Policy and Resources Committee were asked to agree the public consultation questionnaire on next year’s budget. This document included a reference to “additional service cuts” if certain options are taken.
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Conservative councillors on South Gloucestershire Council have challenged their Labour opponents to come up with their own plan to protect local services. The challenge laid down to Labour councillors follows their criticism of Conservative plans to protect frontline services, whilst further reducing local spending on waste, bureaucracy and duplication in line with the Chancellor’s plans to tackle the national debt
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South Gloucestershire Council has launched a new online budget consultation forum where residents can post their views on what priorities the council should focus on. Whether it is investing in our schools, the district’s roads or services for older people, it is important that South Gloucestershire residents are given an opportunity to comment on the spending challenges facing the council.
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Commenting on Conservative Cabinet budget proposals Leader of the Lib Dem group Cllr Ruth Davis said, “The Lib Dems have already raised concerns that the Conservatives are masking cuts under the name of service reviews. As there are no details of the revised plans you’re asking opposition councillors to allow you to sign blank cheques. If the service reviews were
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