The Council will meet on Tuesday night (19 February) to vote on next year’s budget proposals from the Liberal Democrat administration.
The Lib Dems are proposing a listening budget which prioritises the frontline services that are most important to residents and protects services for the most vulnerable, whilst still achieving a further year of frozen Council tax.
Key services, which residents value most, are being protected. Collections of rubbish and recycling will remain weekly. Funding for bus services will continue. No funding cuts for the youth service are proposed. All library branches will remain open. No parking charges will be introduced in car parks which are currently free to use. The street cleaning budget has been protected.
Council tax in B&NES has been frozen since the Liberal Democrats took control of the Council from the Conservatives in 2011. Unlike many neighbouring Councils, who are proposing 2% increases next year, the Lib Dem administration is proposing a further year of frozen Council tax, in recognition of the continuing difficult economic times.
The Liberal Democrats are also prioritising sensible capital investment which will help to support the local economy and provide the conditions for more growth and, ultimately, more jobs for local people.
Local projects to encourage growth include infrastructure developments to open up new sites for housing and workplaces, such as flood alleviation for the Avon in Bath and regeneration schemes, such as the London Road project and Radstock regeneration fund.
To find out more about the budget:
- Visit our website: http://www.bathlibdems.org.uk/budget
- Follow our Twitter hashtag: #listeningbudget2013
- Watch the Cabinet meeting at which the budget was approved to go forward to the Council: http://tinyurl.com/a83jbjl (the budget discussion starts at 58:32)
- Read the full proposals on the Council’s website: http://tinyurl.com/ba7outc