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Council wields the axe
JOB CUTS and an entry charge for Airbourne are part of a major financial shake-up unveiled this week as the council battles to keep council tax rises down.
Some 23 posts look set to be axed as part of the Lib Dems' first budget since taking power last May.
Spectators will be charged to enter a fenced-off area at Airbourne in a bid to find the cash the council needs to provide public services.
In addition more income is being sought from the town's theatres and the traditional Mayor's Sunday parade and other civic bashes will become a thing of the past. There will be less training for officers and councillors. The tourism and leisure marketing and promotion budget will be cut.
On the plus side, residents will get more recycling with free kerbside green waste collections by next year, each of the town's wards will have a 10,000 'fix it' pot for local initiatives, 25,000 has been set aside for the Science Park project, and the operation of the Tourist Information Centre will be reviewed. There will be no cuts in spending on play areas and public toilets.
The details are revealed this week in the proposed budget for the forthcoming financial year set by the Liberal Democrat administration.
It will result in a council tax rise of around 3.8 per cent bringing Eastbourne Borough Council's share of the council tax bill up from 203.82 to 211.57 p.a.
Last month council leader Liberal Democrat David Tutt admitted some tough and unpleasant choices would have to be made to meet a 1.5 million shortfall, which he blamed on a huge drop in the amount of cash handed out to the council from central Government.
This year the level of grant given to the council is up by just one per cent - the lowest percentage to any council in East Sussex and around half the rate of inflation.
As finance bosses spent the last few weeks looking at ways of saving and recouping money, some 250 residents and various organisations including council staff, representatives from the business community, the voluntary sector and disabled groups were involved in a SIMALTO exercise which highlighted areas of spending which could be reduced or improved.
The results of those surveys showed people were not too concerned about reducing spending on civic events, tourism marketing or economic development.
Those questioned did want to see more spent on waste collection and plastics recycling, plantings in parks and gardens, refurbishing toilets and improving play areas.
They also agreed they did not want to see services such as street cleaning and maintaining parks and gardens reduced.
More than half of those questioned also supported plans for the council to charge for access to certain Airbourne events. People will now have to pay to access display areas along the seafront.
Council leader David Tutt said this week, "This is a recycling, regeneration and reinvestment budget.
"We needed to take action to stabilise the council's finances."
"The Government grant part of the council's resources fails to match inflation and is only one per cent up.
"It also fails to recognise the additional burden the council will face with the latest improvement in the concessionary fares scheme to start in April 2008. This will become the single biggest item of expenditure in the council's budget."
Regarding the proposed council tax rise, Cllr Tutt added, "We propose it should rise by 3.8 percent. A significant number of people within our consultation process opted to pay more than inflation to minimise service reductions.
"The Government has set a cap on council tax rises at five per cent and most authorities are likely to set four percent rises."
Herald Opinion: p6
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Weather for Eastbourne
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
