Tories agree youth service concessions as Wiltshire Council freezes council tax for the fourth year

A compromise between Tory-controlled Wiltshire Council and its Lib-Dem opposition helped to save half of the youth services budget when the council agreed its budget for the coming year today (Tuesday) – and froze its council tax precept for the fourth year running.

The 2014/15 budget was approved at County Hall by 74 votes to five, with a total of seven abstentions.

As part of the budget £500,000 was due to be slashed from the council’s youth services funding, which would have meant all the county’s youth clubs axed, including Marlborough’s youth centre, and 140 job losses.

Instead the unitary authority accepted an amendment moved by Lib-Dem leader Councillor Jon Hubbard to reduce the figure by half, to £150,000 through other efficiency measures.

Around £100,000 of the required savings would be made from printing paperwork for councillors, along with an efficiency review of youth club premises aimed at saving £125,000 and £25,000 from the councillors’ development fund being invested.

Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott told councillors: “This has been a challenging budget to set but I’m pleased we have yet again been able to freeze council tax.

“The on-going reduction in central government funding combined with increased demand has meant that once again we have had to take an innovative approach to ensure that we can continue to provide vital front line services for the people of Wiltshire.

“We will continue to do whatever we can to lessen the impact on these vital services and to protect those who are most vulnerable in our communities.

“The county has recently seen the impact of the recent adverse weather and we need to support those communities that were directly affected and to invest significantly to maintain and improve our roads.

“Our local communities remain at the heart of every decision we make and we recognise what’s important to them in allocating the budget.”

The continued council tax freeze means the average household will have saved £382 over the last five years compared to the national rate of inflation.

As a result council tax will remain at 2010/11 levels despite a further reduction in central government funding.

The council’s financial plan for 2014/15 also outlines an additional £18.1 million to be spent on key services including adult social care and safeguarding children.

The overall budget of £333.1 million is almost £7.5 million lower than 2013/14. At the same time the council faces increased demand for key services such as care for vulnerable children and adults and highways maintenance, as well as rising inflation costs.

As a result it had to find £25.5 million of savings through working in a more innovative and efficient way.