Published on:
20
February 2003
Council Tax payers can expect to pay an extra 33p a week on current council tax rates from April this year (based on Band D homes). This represents an increase of 1.75% on the previous year.
This means that people living in a Band D house will pay £995 compared to the current level of £978 - an annual increase of £17.
Council Leader Keith Brown said: "A council tax increase of 1.75% proves that this council is in a sound financial position despite year on year cuts in our government grant. Our budget for 2003/04 is a good budget for the people of Clackmannanshire and marks one of the lowest increases in council tax in recent years.
"However this has been achieved against a backdrop of imposed central government restrictions and control. The Executive claimed this to be a bonanza year for local government. This is simply not the case. All new money is immediately eaten up by new burdens and responsibilities placed upon us by the government.
"Local government finance is a highly complex matter which this government exploits for its own gain. By financial sleight of hand they transfer responsibility for the continuing squeeze on local services from themselves to local authorities.
The Council has a budget of £78 million for 2003/04 to maintain service provision and which includes growth of £866,000. This includes a deficit of around £2 million which has been bridged by a combination of a rise in council tax and a package of savings and efficiency measures.
"With sound financial judgement and good housekeeping we have achieved a balanced budget avoiding an excessive burden being passed onto the householder," added Councillor Brown.
"However once again householders are faced with a massive hike in water and sewerage charges. A 9.9% increase announced last month is just not acceptable and represents a damning indictment of privatisation by the back door.
"While we are trying to protect the tax payer from large increases in council tax Scottish Water continues to hit householders pockets harder each year."
A 2.8% rise in council house rents from April 1 2003 was also announced by Clackmannanshire Council. This will mean an average increase of just £1.14 a week. The Council's Housing Service has a budget of £12.3 million of which £3.85 million is spent on repairs and maintenance
Councillor Charlie Forbes, Convener of the Housing, Health and Social Services Committee said: "It's never an easy decision to raise rents. However as a result of an increase in sales of council houses and prudent financial management, an inflationary increase has been achieved.
"A 2.8% increase in rents is a sensible budget in a year when we will be sitting down with tenants to discuss the long term strategy and national housing finance rules which are set to change."
Rent levels in Clackmannanshire are expected to be approximately 8% below the average Scottish rent.