Free Online at www.coastalviewandmoornews.co.uk The Community Newspaper for the Towns and Villages of East Cleveland, Redcar & North York Moors, telling the real news and views of the people of our region Issue 75 December - January 2016/17
•• Now 26,200 copies monthly ••
Labour Council plans for growth and jobs but more austerity means bigger council tax bills ● 2% increase in Council Tax and a 2% increase in the Adult Social Care Levy cash spent in local shops and businesses, making the situation even worse. “It hasn’t stopped there. Last year we had to cut £6 million and this coming year we have to find a large part of the further £25.6 million the Tory Government are demanding we cut
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nvestment in our towns and industrial estates and a new programme of major events are the investment highlights of the budget proposals announced by the ruling Labour Group on Redcar and Cleveland Council. Following a year when Labour banned borrowing to reduce debt, this new three year plan focuses on delivering jobs and growth and attracting more visitors to the Borough. Outline proposals include a £5 million pot to speed up the revival of centres including Guisborough, Loftus, Saltburn, Eston and Redcar. £2 million to support Industrial Estates; £1 million for local improvements across the Borough and £250,000 a year to attract large scale events to the area, such as the Tour de Yorkshire. Alongside the investment proposals the budget sets out spending plans to 2020. These take into account £25 million of government austerity cuts, and the increasing costs of providing for the growing population of older people and the greater number of children who need support. To plug the gap between what needs to be spent day-to-day and the income available the budget proposes a 2% increase in Council Tax and a 2% increase in the Adult Social Care Levy (which is only used to fund care for older people) and a 2% increase in fees and charges. Other plans to boost business rate and council tax income by growing the numbers of new homes and business in the Borough have also been identified. Cuts in spending will affect everything that the
Council does, with changes being proposed to many services. Council Leader Sue Jeffrey said: “It has been hard to make the changes that are needed to save money and even with the Council Tax and Adult Social Care Levy increases residents will see differences to what the council does day-to-day. But because we worked hard to reduce our debt last year we are able to introduce a modest programme of investment to be funded by borrowing at record low interest rates. This means that despite the cuts we hope that everyone will see some benefit in their area – importantly this investment is not just for now but it will help us deliver a stronger more resilient economy in the future.” Councillor Chris Massey, cabinet member for resources explains the financial position further: “Redcar and Cleveland - like all other councils in the North East of England - has disproportionately suffered extreme cuts in central government support. The cuts in grant fall across many areas of council services - from libraries to roads and from children’s services to your waste bin collection. The reductions will inevitably impact on our quality of life - but we have to put the blame where it lies - and that is with Government. “Over the last six years we have been forced to cut £56 million from the Council’s budget, leading to a loss of over 1,100 jobs - and these were filled by dedicated people who were all local men and women. Not only did they suffer the blow of losing their income, but their loss also cut the amount of
Freebrough Flyer 12 page supplement inside
● Switching off all non-residential street lights 1am - 5am. Switching off one-third of urban residential lights 1am - 5am between now and 2020.” Councillor Alec Brown Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods said: “Despite the cuts, we are committed to improvement and to making sure core services essential to our communities are Continued on page 6 ►►►