Council tax to rise 4.5%

Above the 3% recommended.

The council claim this is because they desperately need the money yet at the same time council rents are being reduced and the council have commited £2.5m for a new bridge because they want it to look prettier than the bridge they could have totally free of charge.

 

Thieving inept labour shitcakes

 

They need it for the pay rises they are going to be getting

 

What they should do is never improve anything ever and if they do have to fix something they should employ only the cheapest companies that will do a crap job and make the town like *****. Because the way a town look and is portrayed to investors in no way impacts a towns ability to attract inward investment.

 

I admire that we are trying to invest in our town and make it better, attract more investment and more people to live or visit here i.e. bringing money in. Unfortunately its a very hard task and when you look at how say Leeds has developed we also have a lot of competition. Its clear that whether people like this council or prefer another, it cant be done without money. With gov cuts it has to come from somewhere.

 

Barnsley started their redevelopment before a number of yorkshire rivals that have finished theirs...

 

And the mayor's commemorative chain. Champagne socialists.

 

You don't get good value for money though. Police have stopped investigating burglaries and don't charge shoplifters, they spend our money on investigating people for being offensive on Twitter and painting their police cars in rainbow colours for Gay Pride.

 

The reason for the cut is a reduction of £10.5m in the Central Govt payment to the Council. Central Government grants have been happening year on year for the last 4 years. Prior to This,Councils were not allowed to raise tax for 5 years after 2008. This affects all councils irrespective of the Party with a majority. It's not due to incompetence or mismanagement.

 

Suppose it makes a change only going up by 1.5 times inflation. Usually its 2, 3 or 4 times inflation. I would love for the council to present a graph showing inflation against council tax rises. I can assure you that there won't be one year in the past twenty when it has been below cpi.

 

Most schools funded centrally now Academies taken over Education used to be large percentage of Local government expenditure and College funded centrally. Referendum on greater Sheffield or wider Yorkshire not engaging Public and a waste of £250,000 only 18% of people voted and Central government has not recognised the result.

 

Don't know what happens in Barnsley re. garden waste bins.... we in Lincs have green bins. Just received a circular this morning saying they are going to charge £35 per bin for this coming year. We have 2 bins (large garden, much waste) and I've been paying £25 p.a. for the second bin. The first bin was always free.
Now I'll be paying £70 for two.
Will await the furore that is bound to happen.
Much Tipping in the Lanes, methinks !!

 

Liverpool is the same - in 2010 the council received over 500 million in funding - it's now half that. Plenty of evidence to show Labour councils have been hit hardest - council isn't helping itself in Barnsley by awarding pay rises etc above inflation but how else are they supposed to raise the money.

Direct more anger at central government - this austerity tactic isn't working

 

Is it commercial or residential rent being reduced?

 

The people to moan about are the Conservatives. They have savaged South Yorkshire and the North with massive cuts in funding which haven't be reciprocated in Conservative voting areas. Sometimes I think some people won't be happy until the town is a "**** hole" like it was in the 50s-60s.

 

They do not have the same drawing power for investment as Sheffield or Leeds and have less ability to raise funds through business rates. Councils with higher rates of social and economic deprivation have been hit hardest by cuts to central govt funding.

 

Ignoring the Daily Mail induced wibble for a Second.

If you had to set up your own school, partially fund your own police force and fire service and arrange for bin collections and street lighting and road repairs, pay towards social care and house people who are homeless. How much change do you think you would get out of your council tax payments?

 

I am surprised at you of all people !! It is very unfair "hosing people who are homeless" particularly in this cold weather. It it not their fault.

 

You do know that the police and Barnsley council are two separate bodies ? Also if people are being offensive on Twitter they SHOULD be investigated, I really fail to see why these things you have brought up are in any way the fault of Barnsley council anyway ?

 

Hooray someone that understands it !!