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Householders face 6pc tax hike

Sam Lister
27/ 2/2003

TAXPAYERS in Tameside face a 6.3 per cent hike in their bills over the coming financial year.

Council leader Roy Oldham announced the council tax rise for 2003/2004 at a meeting of the full council.

The council is bumping up their part of the bill by 3.75 per cent. But a big rise in police and fire service precepts - the charge levied on local authorities to pay for the emergency services - means a further 2.5 per cent has been added to the total.

It means an extra £43.24, about £3.60 a month, for householders in band A category, which most Tameside tax payers fall into.

Mossley residents in band A will have to pay a further £4.35 over the year to cover their parish council precept.

Cllr Oldham also announced next year's council tax rise - an extra 2.8 per cent on the bill.

It means the council has met its pledge to ensure the increase in payments over three years was within 10 per cent. Extra government cash has helped the council to keep its promise.

But Cllr Oldham insisted services would not suffer because of the low rise.

He said: "We have attempted to set a pattern of expenditure with moderate tax rises. The 10 per cent we have promised over three years will be honoured.

"The government has been an excellent provider to this authority with a substantial rise in our Rate Support Grant.

"In spending terms we haven't just taken an axe to spending to achieve this. Our services are still growing."

This year's budget focuses on four key areas - crime reduction, improving the environment, better education and creation of jobs in the borough.

But Cllr Colin Grantham, leader of the Conservative opposition, told the meeting he approved of most of the budget, but was concerned about the way services put out to tender were monitored by the council.

He said: "It's fine saving money on services but who is actually checking they are done?

"This is no longer a council that manages money it's a council that manages a group of systems."

Band A £726.19/£730.54
Band B £847.22/£852.29
Band C £968.26/£974.06
Band D £1089.29/£1095.81
Band E £1331.36/£1339.33
Band F £1573.42/£1582.83
Band G £1815.48/£1826.35
Band H £2178.58/£2191.62