RULING Tories at East Hampshire District Council boasted of a low tax increase as well as improvements to services when they presented their budget to councillors on Wednesday of last week. Recommending the budget to full council, portfolio holder for finance David Onslow said the Tories had managed to improve services across the board with an increase in council tax well below the headline rate of inflation. "Several events have combined to make this possible. Together with the officer team, the Conservative administration has continued to prise out yet more efficiencies and to reduce wasteful activities further, without sacrificing the effectiveness of council services," he said. He said improved interest rates had generated additional income and reflected sound and imaginative investment strategies undertaken by officers and councillors. "Intense lobbying with other Conservative councils in the south has at last brought about some relaxation of the government's policy of pushing local government grants north, and the final settlement at last shows an annual rise consistent with previous years. "All of these measures have helped to keep East Hampshire District Council's council tax rise to 2.5 per cent, well below the headline rate of inflation, currently at 3.2 per cent." He said keeping tax bills low next year had not been the only success story in the budget. In addition, funds had been set aside for substantial improvements in services and also some new services. These, he said, included: l A substantial increase in the concessionary fares benefit for those aged over 70. l No increase in car parking charges. l A new deal with the CAB, increasing its grant by 13 per cent. l An improvement in street cleaning, as well as the "gum buster' initiative, tackling chewing gum on pavements. l More grass cuts next year in response to widespread requests . l A litter-picker for the town of Bordon and Whitehill. l The takeover of the alcohol and entertainments licensing service from the county council with no increase in funds. l £100,000 more in the Community Initiatives Fund for community groups carrying out big projects. l Taking over from the police the control of stray dogs. "As if this was not enough, we run a balanced budget, our total reserves are growing and we are the seventh best council for recycling in the whole of the UK," added Mr Onslow. Council leader Andrew Pattie claimed: "This budget proves that this is an exceptionally well-run council with huge improvements in services at below-inflation increases in tax. This is what taxpayers expect from Conservatives, well-run services with a businesslike attitude to efficiency and a consumer-oriented attitude to service excellence. "Liberal Democrat run councils that are close by have failed to deliver anything like this level of performance, and it proves that residents are better off trusting local government to the Conservatives." Liberal Democrat leader Tony Ludlow said he was concerned that the Community Initiative Fund had dropped from £200,000 to £100,000 in next year's budget. He said he would like to see a review of the various reserve funds held by the council. In this way the CIF could be "topped up" from reserves. But Tory councillors felt reserves needed to be in place as a cushion against the possible cutting of government grants.
q Hampshire residents will see the smallest rise in the county council's share of the council tax bills in 35 years from April, after the authority set a council tax rise of 3.5 per cent. The authority's 2005/06 budget was agreed at a meeting of the full council on Wednesday of last week. County council leader Ken Thornber said that the budget strategy provided the lowest possible council tax with no cuts in services. The county council's budget for 2005/06 is £1,107.9 million, which is £49.8 million more than the 2004/05 budget. This means that a Band D property will pay £869.40 to the county council - an increase of £29 per annum. Mr Thornber said: "There are no cuts to services and the lowest possible council tax rise. This is in line with the clearly-expressed wishes of all of our consultees about the unsustainable rate of council tax rises in the past. "Through service cash efficiency savings, resources redeployment, one-off grant from government in 2005/06 to keep council tax rises below five per cent, the use of our grant resource equalisation reserve to match grant loss from the formula grant changes made by government in 2003/2004 and further corporate savings has enabled us to deliver what the people want, which is a council tax increase at the level of RPI, namely 3.5 per cent. "Without this, council tax would have increased by 6.8 per cent."