A CALL for a ‘grown up discussion’ on council finances has been issued after the borough’s executive committee agreed an increase of up to three per cent in fees and charges for the year 2016/17 and recommended that increases over the three per cent mark be approved by full council in January.
The appeal came from Councillor John Fisher (Lab, M’borough) after the leader of the council’s Conservative group, Coun Juliet Brunner (Con, M’borough), referring to a five per cent rise in junior swimming charges, accused the council of ‘jacking up’ prices.
The price rises come as councils up and down the country count the cost of the Conservative government’s decision to reduce its Rate Support Grant for local authorities – worth £1.5 million to Redditch this year – to zero by 2020.
Coun Fisher said: “We need to have a grown up discussion about this – we have been in a long term financial squeeze which has had nothing to do with this council and we need to deal with the hard realities because at some stage you have to ask yourself where will the money comes from to maintain services.”
The bulk of the rate rises are in the three per cent and under bracket, with for example, the cost of the of a badminton court, currently £12 for 40 minutes, rising to £12.40 and from £8 to £8.20 for a Reddicard holder.
Areas over the three per cent threshhold include party events at leisure centres, allotments (by a maximum of four per cent), junior swimming lessons (£62 to £65.10, or £41 to £43.10 with Reddicard), Palace Theatre hire, community centre hire, building control, the Lifeline service (to £35) and crematorium charges.
The increases and recommendation were approved with two abstentions.
Those increases under three per cent will be effective from January 1, 2016 while those over three per cent, if approved by full council, will be implemented from February, 2016.
