Bedford Borough Council’s new budget gives it a sound financial basis to face the challenges ahead and keeps council tax down, a senior councillor told members, but the increase in council tax has faced criticism.
“We’re going to continue to protect vital services,” councillor Michael Headley (LibDems, Putnoe), the portfolio holder for finance, said at the Full Council Meeting on Wednesday (1 February).
“And provide for those most in need with increased funding for adult and children social care. It keeps council tax down when local residents are facing the cost of living crisis,” he said.
A report presented to the meeting said the proposed increase in council tax for 2023/2024 is 2.9 per cent.
This comprises 0.9 per cent of core council tax, and 2.0 per cent for the Adult Social Care precept, an increase of £48.98 on the average band D property, to £1,737.92 a year.
While the majority of councillors voted to approve the budget, Bedford Borough Councillors accused the mayor of “over-estimating” the extent of inflationary pressures and hitting “already hard-pressed residents with an unnecessary tax hike”.
Conservative Group Leader and Cllr Graeme Coombes (Wilshamstead) expressed his concern that the mayor was taking more money from residents than he needed to.
“It is utterly appalling that Bedford’s Mayor has yet again ignored calls to freeze Council Tax, particularly when Bedford Borough residents are already feeling squeezed from the increased cost of living,” he said.
“Is he so out of touch? Does he not realise how much people are already hurting?
“Bedford’s Mayor should follow the example set by our neighbours in Central Bedfordshire Council who, through sound financial management and efficiencies, haven’t increased Council Tax this year, whilst still maintaining services.
“The Mayor and his Liberal Democrat colleagues need to stop treating residents as cash cows, stinging them for maximum revenue, whilst still failing to provide decent public services.”
Reducing County Council debt
Councillor Headley also told the meeting that the council inherited a £90 million debt when the county council was abolished in 2009.
“We’ve got it down from £90 million to £65 million, actually soon to be £60 million,” he said. “That is saving us a million pounds a year in interest payments.
“That’s a million pounds a year where can provide services rather than paying interest payments,” he said.
Bedford mayor, Dave Hodgson, thanked councillor Headley for his “leadership” throughout the budget process and his control of finances.
“And not allowing us to build up debt so that our children and grandchildren have to pay it for years to come,” he said.
“It’s a very difficult thing to do, to balance that need for services whilst trying to keep council tax down. The government keeps on talking about the council’s spending power.
“This spending power assumes that we will increase [council tax] by the 4.99 per cent we’re allowed.
“So when they say ‘spending power’, what they mean is ‘put it onto the taxpayer and let them pay’,” he said.
Read: Councillor in charge of Bedford Borough finances calls Government budget calculator “flawed”
Additional reporting by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
