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[Anne]

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council agreed its budget for 2010-11 last night at Full Council. The result: a freeze on the borough council's portion of the Council Tax bill for 2010/11.
This is the first time the council has held its council tax at the same level. The council's annual portion of Council Tax for a Band D property will remain £184.02.

Last year, the council asked residents which services were most important to them and where they would like to see their money spent. As a result, the council will be making additional investments to:

•Improving the town centres and local shopping environments
•Supporting our ageing population
•Community safety
•Supporting children and young people
•Street cleansing.
In total, the council's budget requirement for 2010/11 will be £16.2m. This is an increase of 2 per cent from 2009/10 and will be met through increased charges and use of reserves.

The council will also be investing significant amounts of capital into its buildings and land in order to continue improving Welwyn Hatfield as a place to live, work and shop. The areas for major investment include:

•housing and garage stock
•leisure and community facilities including a possible development on the Splashlands site
•improved parking facilities.
Councillor Alan Franey, Executive Member for Resources, said: "This is the first time the council has frozen its Council Tax portion. In light of the recession, and at a time when residents face increased household bills, unemployment and in some cases the loss of their home, we have made several additional efficiency savings to make this possible.

"We have carefully managed our finances over the years, consistently delivering greater efficiency and making better use of taxpayers' money. We have also committed over £1m to making improvements to frontline services and significant amounts of capital will also be spent on improving the borough."

The overall Council Tax increase is determined more by Hertfordshire County Council and Police Authority services. The amount of council tax raised for Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council services makes up only about 13 per cent of resident's total Council Tax bill. A very small amount pays for Parish Council services.

The full Council Tax bill for residents (including all precepts) will be agreed at a special Full Council on Thursday 25 February.

[speers]

A 'freeze', WHY NOT A REDUCTION?!
 
If these can why not WelHat & HertsCC? http: http://tinyurl.com/ykbwx2r

Windsor & Maidenhead, Hammersmith & Fulham and numerous other councils have managed to reduce their residents bills and most have far greater challenges to meet than WelHat or HertsCC.
 
I suppose HertsCC being one of the top 10 councils with the worst budget deficit and WelHats deficit having DOUBLED in the last 12 months might explain why!
 
Most of their financial problems can be linked to ludicrously generous pension schemes and increasing their own pay and perk packages enormously in the last few years, with virtually NO benefit to their employers...that's us by the way.
 
As Cllr David Burbage says himself; 'Some councils say that they are making huge efficiency savings – but then end up by promising either to keep Council Tax in line with inflation, or at best a council tax freeze. If a council can be made 10% more efficient, then council tax should necessarily fall as a result.'
 
I couldn't agree more.

[speers]

The full report about the £53billion pension deficit black hole showing HertsCC's place in the top 10 money mis-managers and WelHat's DOUBLED deficit in the last 12 months can find it here; http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/Deficits.pdf
 
Stocks and rotten fruit come to mind!