Council tax rise approved at fractious meeting

Councillors have agreed to raise tax at a fractious meeting in which ‘reckless’ Tory amendments were slammed amid ‘Ant and Dec’ and ‘Sheriff of Nottingham’ jibes.

At the Oldham full council annual budget meeting on Wednesday night a majority of members voted to increase council tax by 3.99 per cent from April 1, of which two per cent is specifically ring-fenced to be spent on adult social care.

This will increase a Band A property’s annual bill by £47.65, while for a Band D property the annual tax bill will rise by £71.48, before Mayoral precepts and any parish council element are added on top.

Once Greater Manchester Mayoral precepts which cover police and fire services are included, a Band A bill will rise by £60.98 and Band D by £91.48.

The budget for 2023/24 also includes £16.3m of cuts and savings, to fill a nearly £30m budget shortfall – £12.9m of which will be met by using council reserves.

Moving the budget, cabinet member for finance and low carbon, Councillor Abdul Jabbar said that budget pressures had been rising, mainly due to issues beyond the council’s control and it was a ‘very challenging time’.

“We are working to transform the borough so that Oldham thrives and prospers, while at the same time trying to provide support for Oldhamers who are struggling to make ends meet because of the cost of living crisis,” he said.

Coun Jabbar told the meeting that they looked at budget savings and efficiencies with minimal job losses – seven empty roles are to go from the authority.

He added: “If we could have avoided an increase in council tax then we would have done that.

"But as I have already mentioned the government expects us to increase council tax by up to five per cent.

“Our increase is the joint lowest, together with Bolton and Stockport in Greater Manchester.

“There may be financial challenges, but it’s not all doom and gloom.

"Our capital strategy gives us a platform to build a better Oldham and to be at the forefront of the green agenda and make Oldham a place that thrives.”

The budget proposals include a ‘variable lighting trial’ whereby street lighting in some areas would be dimmed by 50pc from dusk to dawn, and lights would go on ten minutes later and switch off ten minutes earlier.

If the trial is successful it would save around £800k for the authority, budget documents state.

Crematorium fees, and the cost of booking for council-owned sports pitches are also set to increase.

One of the cuts includes the ending of council teas on the days of full council for elected members to save £6.9k and changing the catering provision at annual council to save £3.1k.

Local ward budgets for the 60 councillors for schemes and grants in their communities would each be reduced from £5,000 to £4,000.

During the meeting Conservative Coun Lewis Quigg took aim at Labour’s budget and the decision to raise council tax. “You’re behaving like the Sheriff of Nottingham,” he said.

“You’re taking people’s money and wasting it.

“People in this borough are asking for a freeze.

"42p a week might be nothing to you, but 42p to the people in this borough every week is a lot of money.”

There followed a spat between Coun Quigg and Coun Jabbar, who said he was ‘shouting behind him’. Coun Quigg said:

“How I conduct myself is my decision,” leading the Mayor Elaine Garry to remind him he was bound by the code of conduct.

Alternative budget proposals put forward at the meeting by the Liberal Democrat group, which included measures such as 20mph speed limits in residential areas and investing in repairing footpaths, and a new children’s home, were voted down.

However, Labour members said they would want to progress some of the proposed projects, were it not for the financial pressures on the town hall.

Cross-party condemnation of ‘uncaring’ Tory proposals

The fiercest topic of debate during the three hour meeting was the alternative budget put forward by the Conservative opposition group, presented by Saddleworth Councillors Max Woodvine and Luke Lancaster.

While described by the Tories as ‘undoubtedly bold’, it attracted criticism from both Labour and also the Liberal Democrats – while one Conservative, Coun Robert Barnes, said he would abstain on his own group’s proposals as he disagreed with various elements.

The group had proposed only increasing tax by the two per cent needed for adult social care, scrapping the 1.99pc general rise, which they said amounted to a ‘freeze’ for that year.

Their amendment also proposed scrapping the cost of living support package agreed by the council in 2022 – at a total cost of £3m – to save £1.7m next year, as they said it did not ‘target resource effectively’.

Scrapping senior management posts, and discontinuing district partnerships would save the authority £1.3m in the coming year, the Tories said.

Their proposals stated that some of the jobs carried out by council staff in the district partnerships could be taken over by councillors, local community and faith groups.

“It is acknowledged that this proposal reduces expenditure on community activities – but this is a matter of heart and mind, not money,” their amendment said.

“The Conservatives have not seen evidence of the tangible benefits that this service provides and again do not believe this expenditure can be justified in the current financial climate.”

This particular element of the proposals prompted a furious reaction from Lib Dem Coun Dave Murphy, who said it was being put forward by the ‘Tory version of Ant and Dec’.

“Our district teams are the beating heart of our community and they’re worth their weight in gold. I don’t want to get rid of them, I want more of them,” he said.

“I’ve heard you saying that yours don’t do anything. Well I’d say if that’s true – which I very much doubt – that’s a failure on you because it’s your role to get that district team to deliver your priorities – you haven’t got any.

“I just don’t know how you can look at your own district team’s faces again, how can you look them in the eye?

"I’m genuinely lost for words. It does make me question, not only your politics, but your humanity.”

Coun Peter Dean, a Labour councillor in Waterhead ward said the Conservative proposals were ‘reckless and uncaring’ which would include ‘ripping out a whole tier of district working and community working, which I find is extraordinary’.

Defending their proposals, Tory Coun Woodvine said it was possible to freeze council tax and there is an ‘alternative route’ which Labour was refusing to take, telling the chamber councillors were ‘misinformed’ about their amendment.

“I’m struggling to see where the Liberal Democrat group stops and the Labour group starts,” he added.

“Oldham currently has the second highest rate of council tax in Greater Manchester – that’s shameful.”

The amendment was defeated, while the main budget proposals were approved with 36 votes in favour to 22 against.

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