Residents in Trafford express anger over council tax hike and new green bin charge amid budget cuts.
An Urmston man called the tax increase a scandal. He said the bin charge is unfair on top of the tax, claiming it equals a 10 percent rise for some homes. A band D home will pay £176 monthly in April and the extra cost totals £190 next year. He would switch providers if his phone bill rose similarly.
Stefan is worried about losing his single discount, which is worth 30 percent. He still pays all bills living alone as a single person. Stefan dislikes some spending, like sun loungers on King Street. He thinks the spending is crazy and wasteful.
John, who is 84, gets a 25 percent age discount, arguing they shouldn’t pay extra fees. He says the services are no longer being provided. Sue has lived in Trafford for 19 years. Street cleaning has disappeared in that time, and her bin collections are often missed, she says. Black bins only get emptied monthly.
Susan says cycle lanes are everywhere, but unused. Catherine feels they lack value for money and thinks the 7.49 percent tax hike is cheeky. Karen says residents need no choice but to pay.
Nigel doesn’t blame the Labour council for the price rise. The government cut social care by £12 billion, and local councils had to handle the problem. Trafford had low taxes under a prior leader with continuous cuts at the time. Some councils are at risk financially. Nigel suggests people can’t expect service without expense.
Bruce resents the increased council tax due to Kingsway. He believes councils make silly decisions freely. Road work in Stretford causes issues.
Council Leader Tom Ross recognizes the National Insurance impact. The Chancellor’s hike worsened the council’s finances. Trafford had a £26 million budget shortfall back in April. Cost savings lowered it to £9.8 million by October, but the Chancellor’s budget then increased the gap to £12 million. Government help fell short by at least £600,000 while extra costs for social care providers hurt the budget, adding £3.4 million to the overall deficit.
A government grant of £600 million helped many English councils. Greater Manchester got about £7 million each on average, but Trafford and Stockport received nothing at all. Funding was based on deprivation levels and the need to receive support, and Trafford’s needs were not so high relative to other areas. Knowing this calculation, Trafford did understand likely results and started planning alternative steps after the zero result.
Trafford then asked the government for financial support. The government allowed it to raise council tax higher and also allowed a type of “loan” for capital.
Tom Ross discussed a report by an independent group. The group had identified a financial problem in council spending going back to 2011 with tax increases and tax freezes. They argue lack of council tax increased funds shorted.
Tom Ross mentioned councils sometimes use their cash reserves. Trafford’s reserves are about £6.5 million, which is low. Ross argued that using more reserves would lack financial responsibility. Trafford is one of the lowest funded councils in the nation. Trafford lost £300 million due to government funding cuts. They want a fundamental review of local government finance.
Ross says Trafford is nowhere near bankruptcy.