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Council tax freeze
Lord Smith
COUNCIL tax in Wigan is set to be frozen for the second year running.
The ruling Cabinet has confirmed the council’s budget will be based on bills staying the same. The move is expected to be confirmed by the next full meeting of the council on March 7.
It means Wigan then qualifies for the Government grant ‘carrot’, offered to local authorities which support Chancellor George Osborne’s plea to freeze bills.
But it won’t affect the three-year, £66m programme of spending cuts which is being rolled out across the borough.
Labour Group Leader Lord Smith told the Evening Post that councillors had agreed to recommend a financial strategy built around a zero council tax increase. He said: “We have recognised how hard life is for many families in the borough because of the challenging situations they face as the economy falters.
“Working with colleagues across Greater Manchester we have achieve zero increases in police and fire levies so we are able to propose that we freeze council Tax for next year.
“The Government is only offering a one year support for this.
“The following year this grant drops out so unfortunately there will be a double tax rise the following year.
“However people will have the benefit of not having to pay more next year. As they say, “Every little helps”.
“The council’s budget will also have to cope with the next round of the £66m cuts that the Coalition is forcing on Wigan Council.
“So although there will be no increase in council tax there will be more big cuts which will unfortunately affect both services and jobs.”
Opposition group chiefs say that they strongly welcome the recommendation and expect it to be approved by the majority of the town hall’s 75 councillors.
Leader of the Opposition Independent Group Coun Gary Wilkes said: “We welcome the ruling group’s decision not to increase council tax for the second year in a row.
“But it’s a shame that Wigan Council can not carry on investing millions of pounds in libraries, parks, highways, sport facilities and open spaces.”
Chairman of the borough’s Conservative Federation, former Orrell Councillor Michael Winstanley, said: “I am pleased that the council have seen sense and decided to follow the sensible policy laid down by the Conservative led Government.
“This is the second consecutive year that the Government has met the promise to freeze council tax and this will be welcomed by council tax payers in Wigan.
“This is in marked contrast to the excessive rises Wigan tax payers suffered under 13 year of Labour Government.”
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Comments
There are 57 comments to this article
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Coppull
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 06:05 PMsobrasado – I believed you were Polish, but I am not embarrassed about it despite your lie. Your punctuation and quality of diction is impeccable and most refreshing in these forums. It puts to shame the UK people who talk ‘english’ not as a foreign language and are far less astute. . I’d like to see them all (and myself) struggle to type 5 words in a German forum.
sobrasado
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:02 PMTrelawney, thank you for reminding me that the quote is from Ghandi. I only knew the German translation of it and used my own words to bring back into English. Maybe I should have looked it up and quoted the original English version. Talking about the multilingual announcements on german trains I think that they will not only annoy the French but also make any native English speaker cringe as they are mostly done in a rather bad English unless they come from a tape. We give them credit for trying though......
Trelawney
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 12:44 PMPost 48 re your final comment. We may reluctantly concede that Germans may surpass us with Classical Composers. However for famous quotes the English language excels. What do you mean, "hoping it doesn't get lost in translation" . That quote is generally attributed to an English speaker albeit from the Indian subcontinent and South Africa, Ghandi. I liked your comment regarding "there" and "their". You will be telling me next you know when to use "who" and "whom". Even in my sixties I struggle with those two words......What I did like in Germany was on the trains, when the announcements were in both German and English. I had a little chuckle to myself at the annoyance that would cause the French...............A few years ago I was in Athens and a Greek and German were talking to each other in English and one commented, how lazy the French and Italians were as they would not learn English...........As a true "Brit" I must say the real mark of civilisation is, "Do they make a good cup of tea?".............Anybody remember what the topic was?
flyer
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:47 AMEven as i call foriegn people working over here,I have to disagree with a couple of people,I have served in germany over many years with the army and was made to feel so welcome by the germans that when i came out started to take my wife over every year and again was made welcome by the german people andf yes it is a very clean place,you dprop litter you are fined same if you spill oil or fuel,We dont go now but thats only because of the euro against the pound but would return anytime
Fingolfin
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:19 AMsickofitall: It doesn't matter what reports appear on these pages, YOU blame immigrants. Whether it's employment, taxes, taxis, crime, health the first thing you jump on is 'johnny foreigner'.
sobrasado
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 09:22 AMPost 50: I am sorry for your negative experiences in Germany. This shows that you can find the same idiotic and narrowminded people everywehere. It doesn't change the underlying reasons for their behaviour as I mentioned earlier. In Germany too there are people who turn down one job offer after the other because they deem the jobs as unsuitable. Immigrants may take these jobs and then those same people complain that the foreigners steal their jobs. I have experienced racial abuse myself when I was working in East Africa. I was looked down upon by some Africans who approached me with different prejudices and told me to leave their country and go home. Not nice.
Trelawney
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 08:58 AMI too have been to Germany for a holiday and am surprised you wanted to leave Germany. Whilst there I never ceased to be surprised at the friendliness of your fellow countrymen. When I asked the way to anywhere I rarely was told, I was instead shown. Always again marveled at the excellent English by your countrymen. On holiday in other European countries I have never experience the stereotypical, "sunbed" attitude, but a genuine friendliness and desire to enter into conversation Yes we even discussed "The War". Pretending to be Polish even buries another myth, you have a sense of humour. I have spoken to English people who like the Polish in England went to work in Germany and all said they were welcome. What I was surprised at was the reluctance of the Germans to work overtime. Ingrained national perceptions appear to be generally wrong. Friede sei mit euch!
jackmetickler
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 07:02 AMSobrasado: So your from Germany; I can see how you would now want to side with the Polish people; at least in public. I too am well travelled, including Germany and I have experienced first hand the German peoples welcoming nature. At one time I was in northern Germany, near the Polish border; on holiday, not stealing a German's living. I and my family were constantly verbally abused by the locals and by soldiers from a nearby training camp. I was referred to as a Russo (Russian) and was made to feel really welcome. This as well from the staff who ran the complex who knew we were English. When in the forces, I spent some time on joint training with the German army; if I were to give you a flavour of their humour I would never get this missive printed. Oh! by the way; I am educated.
Dan Sin
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 10:17 PMNot all Councils have frozen the Council Tax but I am sure this is down to Donna Hall. She is to be the next Chief Exec at Wigan and just as at the other Councils she has worked I am sure she will do a fantastic job. This is the probably the best decision that Wigan Council will have ever made.
sobrasado
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 10:16 PMI apologise: I am not from Poland but am in fact from Germany. That still makes me a foreigner though. I wanted to embarress the poster I refreed to by claiming I was Polish, hopefully that worked.... I have been living and working in many different countries for over 10 years now and I can tell you that what most people call 'racism' is more often than not a pure lack of knowledge, understanding and therefore education. Do you think the african gentlemen in Wigan town centre enjoy standing in the freezing rain selling their stupid plastic toys and being looked upon as 'scum' by white Europeans who are to proud to be a cleaner, binman or fulfil other useful roles in our society? Being looked down upon by people who cannot even differentiate between 'there' and 'their'? Or do you think they would rather want to live in their West African village by the sea, go out fishing, provide for their family? Instead you even look down on them when you visit them in their own countries on a cheap package holiday. Realise the fact that some people don't have the same choices as you or me before coming out with some of the stuff one can read here. Now don't get me wrong: I too think that people who come to live in a foreign country (and that of course includes myself) have to adapt to the rules, learn the language and respect the laws of that country. If you don't like it go home, noone is forcing anyone to stay where they are. Anyone saying "we should not let any more foreigners into our country", anyone saying "they only come here to live on our benefits" should think very carefully: what if the ball was in your court? What if the ball was in your children's court? Maybe in 20 years we or our children have to go to Brazil, China, Turkey or India because the welfare system, medical care and pensions are better elsewhere. How would you feel if people think you are a piece of ....? Sorry for being so long, I will make one final point hoping it doesn't get lost in translation: a truely great man can be recognised by how he treats the little people.
jackmetickler
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:40 PMPending Moderation
jackmetickler
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:36 PMHave a problem with reality fingo? Burying head in sand and bleating Racist isn't going to change reality.
sickofitall
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:12 PMI'm sorry, BUT .....You cannot fit a square peg into a round hole ! How many people can we import before we say " enough is enough" ?????? Logic really not racist, if you think its racist to say that then fine ..... I'm racist, but quite truthfully, that old card has been played SOOOO many times it means NOTHING anymore.
Fingolfin
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:44 PM41 not 48
Fingolfin
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 08:44 PMRE: 48 it was, but the racist came out and blamed the immigrants !
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