7.56% is real tax increase in Council budget

7.56% is the real tax increase residents are facing this year. Directly, residents are going to be charged a 3.95% Council tax increase. However, with all of the hikes in other fees and charges and the introduction of new fees planned by the Conservative Cabinet, the real figure is 7.56%.

New and increased charges in this budget include: the introduction of charges for on-street parking for disabled drivers; increases in charges for services for older people; an increase of 56% for residents’ parking permits; increases in park and ride fares; extensions to other car park charges; and a 10% increase in garden and bulky waste charges.

This Conservative budget appears to have a low Council tax rise, but when all the other charges and fees are taken into account, the real burden on residents is much higher.

The budget will hit vulnerable people with high charges; it will punish drivers, without improving traffic flows; it will delay, put off or abandon important environmental measures, such as same-day collection and extending recycling; and it will exacerbate problems through cuts to the Council’s youth and other services.

The Liberal Democrats believe this Tory budget of service cuts and increased charges is fundamentally flawed. We have fought hard for improvements, and will be proposing an amendment which is intended to reduce the burden on older people and the vulnerable, to help protect services for young people and to put environmental protection high on the agenda.

By trying to claim a low Council tax increase on the one hand and introducing new fees and increased charges on the other, the Tory Cabinet is driving our authority into the sand, putting its head in after it and blaming everyone else.

Bath Councillors appalled by Post Office hit list

The Post Office Network Change list for Bristol and Somerset has been revealed in the press a few days ago. Four Bath Post Offices are down for closure. Thankfully at this time Moorland Road Post Office is safe. However, Cllr Sandry and McGall are campaigning with Don Foster MP and other local Lib Dem councillors against the Government plans for the city as a whole.

Local people in Walcot will certainly be outraged to hear the Government is planning to close their Post Office. It is a focal point of local life in the community and certainly contributes to keeping the Camden Road shops busy. We urge Oldfield Park residents to support the campaign to save Bath’s Post Offices across the city, and to sign the petition here.

Across the City in Newbridge, Councillor Caroline Roberts (Lib Dem, Newbridge) who is a regular patron of the Lower Weston Post Office, said: “After the closure of Yomede Post Office, local people were hoping that the Lower Weston Post Office on Newbridge Road would be safe. Since the closure of Yomede, elderly people in Newbridge area have already had to take the bus to get to Lower Weston. The nearest Post Office will now be in Weston Village – which is not on a bus route – or the city centre. The future of the very popular shop attached to the Post Office is now in jeopardy.”

Closer to Oldfield Park, the Government is proposing to close the Post Office on Bear Flat. Fellow Lib Dem Councillor Marian McNeir (Lyncombe) stated: “I just don't believe this. Bear Flat is a vibrant shopping area and many people depend on being able to walk to the local shops, including the Post Office. It is an essential part of our daily lives and I think it is ridiculous to expect local residents to drive or take a bus into the town centre – this could be impossible for elderly people and young families. Why should they have to have this type of inconvenience when we have a successful Post Office on our doorstep? This is a backward step which does nothing to help local people. I call on the govt to reconsider.”

Our Member of Parliament, Don Foster, is concerned that the social importance of Post Offices is being ignored by the Government. These closures do not take into account the knock-on effect on other shops in the local community. It will be the elderly and vulnerable who are most affected by these closures as they may struggle to travel the extra distance to important services.

Please sign the petition here.

Pensioners Bus Pass Scheme:- New arangements

i) The new scheme starts of the 1st April 2008.

ii) A new card will be required - Temporary cards will be issued to residents if the Council's own cards are not ready in time, though there is believed to be a low risk of this happening.

iii) In the existing Diamond card area (i.e. the former Avon area) the start time will remain at 9.00 a.m. but outside the area it will be 9.30 a.m.

iv) The new passes will apply to all local bus services in England. Seperate schemes will operate in Wales and Scotland and they are not interchangable.