Last updated 13:07, Thursday, 08 January 2009

TOWN hall chiefs say they’re keen to keep residents’ rates as low as they can in the next financial year.

JACK RICHARDSON

Council tax bills for 2009/10 will be landing on doorsteps within the next few months. Any big increases will hit residents hard this year in particular.

That’s because their other expenses – such as food and fuel bills – have already soared due to the global economic crisis.

Householders aren’t the only ones to suffer as a result of the credit crunch.

Public sector organisations – like councils – are affected too.

Barrow Borough Council receives 13 per cent of council tax and provides services such as street cleaning and rubbish collection and runs buildings like Park Leisure Centre, the Dock Museum and Forum 28. The borough council is yet to decide how much cash it will demand from residents from April.

But its leader, Conservative Councillor Jack Richardson, told the Evening Mail they will be looking in detail at their budget in the next couple of weeks to see where they stand.

He added: “We want to keep council tax as low as we possibly can, as long as at the same time, we can maintain services at the level people expect.”

Cumbria County Council receives three quarters of the council tax paid by Barrow residents and provides services such as libraries, schools, care for the elderly and road maintenance. The Carlisle-based authority is expected to confirm in February how much it will demand in rates during the next financial year, but it is currently consulting on a raft of investment and savings proposals – including closing Barrow Island and Askam libraries – that would result in a 3.5 per cent rise in its share of the council tax in 2009/10.

Cumbria Police Authority, which receives 12 per cent of council tax, is to decide its share on February 18.

Copeland Borough council will decide the amount on February 24. A spokesman said: “We are looking at our budget to see what the amount will be.

“We are working hard to keep it as low as possible in these challenging economic times.”

South Lakeland District Council will set its new council tax rates on February 26. SLDC director of resources Jack Jones estimates that there will be a four per cent increase on the last financial year. He said: “These are very difficult times. We have got much less interest on our investments for next year because of the interest rate fall. We are doing our best and do not want to cut any of our services.”Should services be cut to keep council tax down?

Should serives be cut to keep council tax down?