Non Footy Post - Council Tax

Barnsley Council approve the increase in council tax for this year of 4.49%.. I've always said, happy for this to increase providing the increase is used to improve services etc.

One thing annoyed me reading a message from Sir Steve, was that one of the reasons for the increase is the rising inflation? That baffles me as inflation has been on the decline during 2018 as per the chart below, only increasing slightly in Dec 18.. Why not just come out with the hard facts and just be straight with people, ie in order to deliver quality services we need higher contributions. We all know the council has been hit with cuts so those who can pay more will understand. As long as those who are struggling are correctly identified and supported accordingly then for me there is no problem in putting that little extra in.. Just be straight with us for once though! PS the graph title didn't change, but it's the last 5 yrs...

 

I wonder how much they'd get selling the 1 and the 2 and replacing the ceremonial car with a functional but significantly cheaper vehicle

 

I saw loads moaning on the chronicles Facebook post about the same thing. First thing anyone does is blame the council but it’s quite clearly not their fault.

 

It is interesting that council tax is increasing by more than inflation again. Generally speaking it is the government cutting grant support to local authorities that is forcing local councils to increase council tax as well as cutting services. Local authorities cannot increase council tax by more than 2.99% without the approval of a local referendum. The exception to this is that councils can add onto this an amount for social care so I suspect that BMBC is adding an extra 1.5% increase on it's total tax bill to cover escalating social care costs. However, some of us who have relatives in residential care are also paying an extra "tax" called the "top up". This is the difference between what the council is willing to pay for residential care (mainly for the elderly, but not exclusively so), and what the vast majority of care homes charge.

On top of all this there is the Police precept. In Oxfordshire this will be going up by13% in 2019/20 again this is largely to cover reductions to central government grant support. In our part of the world we also have to pay a district council precept and a town/parish council precept. The services provided by these councils will be provided by the borough in Barnsley. These two do not receive any central government support.

 

Bloody death and taxes. One way or another I'm paying a fortune in tax.

 

Why not come out with the fact that they are in the safest seat in the country and they can do what the ******* hell they like with our money. Don’t get me wrong, the self serving shire hawks in charge of the country’s purse strings are loving us left, right and centre but Barnsley council are an absolute cash vortex

 

Peanuts in the greater scheme of things.Also, Perhaps, if the Tories saw that they were doing something like this to raise a bit of extra revenue, they’d negate it by increasing the cuts by the same amount.

 

Barnsley MBC pay for all the services on behalf of the folks running the Market stalls. The power to the old Market was provided via two large sub stations. The Organisation where I worked, bought all the Electricity for Barnsley along with around another 80 Councils. The suppliers then billed each site after the power was delivered to site. Prices in the Wholesale market can change times many in any trading day, so the supply for any year was bought in tranches in the preceding year. So he knew what to charge the stall holders a realistic price at the start of any new financial Year, the Markets Manager used to get in touch with my mate who ran our Energy department to ask if he could provide any market intelligence from the energy specialists who supply such forecasts as to what direction the market might go in, on the grounds that he couldn't afford to subsidise any excess charges. I wonder if the officers with the responsibility of setting the Council Tax, therefore take a retrospective view of what the RPI index has done and then build in a safety " margin" to take account of any unknown/ unforeseen factors in the forward RPI year for all items.? One of the major imponderables during 2019 of course,is our exit from the EU and apart from speculation, we don't yet know exactly what prices will do. Might be way off the mark, but it's just
a thought as to the possible methodology used.

 

If only ours was just 5%

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/conwy-councillors-back-eyewatering-116-15781898

 

Local government cant afford to fund local services without council tax increases, even then they will be looking to cut the hard workers on the coal face, but yet last year we sent 16 billion in overseas aid, now before anyone starts I ain't saying stop it but I am asking how can they justify it ? The mind boggles, nothing like taking a big dump on your own doorstep

 

It might be peanuts but it's still a gesture that we are ALL in it together not that the locals are suffering whilst those in charge maintain their luxury.

Why the hell do we have a personalised number plate worth hundreds of thousands anyway? Are the council that vain?

 

The overseas aid budget needs some serious reconstruction. I'm not against it in principle but the way the money is distributed is beyond the pale.

 

Be a payrise of about 4.49% ...

 

Did you not see the news articles a couple of weeks ago in the national press stating that Barnsley had been hardest hit but the government's austerity policies? They've had to cut services to the bone just to be able to provide the things they absolutely must, such as social care. They've got absolutely no money to waste on anything, so how you can say they're a cash vortex is beyond me.

 

I don’t mind if it goes towards services you can bet your bottom dollar that all staff will end up with an well above inflation pay rise courtesy of us council tax payers only the other week they were advertising for a chief exec for 160k plus relocation fees a year money is being wasted by all councils in the uk st our expense
To say they are skint when they are wasting £180 million on a new shopping centre

 

That's all good but can someone explain why under the pre austerity Labour government council tax went up by 3 or 4 times cpi inflation virtually every year? These relentless increases cannot go on forever, both Tory and Labour governments seem to see home owners as easy targets. At the moment the tories are targeting us under the excuse of austerity. But don't be fooled into thinking things would be any different with Labour running the government. Because I would expect my council tax to be even higher under a Corbyn government than it is now.

 

Your paying higher on almost everything VAT etc.
It’s what the Tories do to pay for their tax cuts .
You’ll feel a couple a Quid extra in your measly pay but have a thought for the multi millionaire he’ll save hundreds of thousands . Worth it ?

 

Not defending any party policy and certainly not this governments. I am on a fixed income that doesn't go up by anywhere near enough each year to cover triple times inflation deals from either party. I'm just saying that if allowed Labour would likely put it up even more rather than being proportionately subsidised by general taxation as it used to be and still should be.

 

Labour would raise taxes on the richest earners see manifesto.
https://labour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/labour-manifesto-2017.pdf
But it would be under hostile pressure from these people and their Media pals .

 

What, like this?