Lib Dems to table proposal for council tax below the rate of inflation

9.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 3rd Mar 2006

Cllr Andrew Sangar, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet member for Finance

Sheffield City Council are meeting today in order to set the council tax for the next financial year. The controlling Labour will propose a 4.6% increase in council tax and the controversial 165% increase to Home Care charges. The Liberal Democrat opposition will be moving an amendment proposing make savings and increase council tax by just 1.98%, below the underlying rate of inflation that stands at 2.3%.

Lib Dems also propose to avoid the entire 165% Home Care charge increase proposed by Labour, which was set to leave many elderly and vulnerable people in Sheffield with huge bills.There is also extra money to provide 30 officers to tackle anti-social behaviour and plus more money for parks and public toilets.

The alternative budget proposal by the major opposition group includes a total of £6m worth of savings through cutting down on red tape and staffing costs within the Town Hall. Lib Dems point to waste and more management in the town hall and highlight that the Council have employed an extra 1,500 people over the last 12 months under Labour.

Savings include a crackdown on sickness absence and targeted reductions of spend on consultants and legal fees. Lib Dems have also committed to giving local area panels more control over how service priorities are decided.

Cllr Andrew Sangar, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet member for Finance, said: -

"Labour are wasting a huge amount of taxpayers money within the Town Hall on unnecessary backroom staff and waste. Staff numbers have increased dramatically in the last two years with little evidence of improvements in front line services across the whole of Sheffield. Its clear that backroom staff and management costs are spiralling out of control under Labour"

"Our alternative budget is about cutting out the waste and red tape within the council and investing more in our priorities whilst delivering a lower council tax. We will propose a council tax increase below 2%, around the level of inflation. But we have also saved enough money to invest in avoiding Labours proposed 165% Home Care charge increase, more officers on the streets to tackle anti-social behaviour, and extra money for parks"

"If our amendment is rejected by Labour, then Sheffield will lose out on the chance to have a lower council tax, no increase to Home Care fees and the efficiency savings needed to cope with the predicted difficult budgets in the future"