Two-tier budget clobbers town's council taxpayers

10.58.00am GMT Thu 25th Feb 2010

Council tax payers in Chelmsford town centre face a much higher council tax rise than in the areas with parish councils. The average increase in Chelmsford Borough's Council Tax is 2.9% but the unparished (town) area - some 40% of the Borough residents - will be hit by a massive 5.9% increase when most people have seen no increase in their incomes.

This arises because the Conservative administration has put the cost of town centre public conveniences, hanging baskets and Christmas lights solely onto residents of the town and not paid by residents in areas of Chelmsford that have Parish Councils. Even though these services benefit all residents of the Borough, as well as visitors and workers from outside Chelmsford.

At last week's Chelmsford Borough Council budget setting meeting, the Liberal Democrat Opposition Finance spokesman Cllr. Tom Smith-Hughes highlighted this "two tier" budget.

Cllr. Smith-Hughes also drew attention to the £240,000 fine imposed on the Council by Government for poor performance in processing housing benefit claims. He commented that, "Chelmsford was by far the worst performing Council in Essex for processing claims. This fine should have been avoided and not left to Council Taxpayers to pick up the bill."