CCBC costs and cutting

[Fester]

Apparently the higher tax rise, of 11.9% has been voted in.

The higher they push the rise, the less people will pay, and the less they will receive in total taxation.  I think they have pushed people too far with their greed this time, and they have underestimated the extent of the backlash.
Watch this space.

[Ian]

I think a good start would be to get the names of those councillors who have voted in the higher raise. We could then print them so the rate-paying voters could see exactly who is happy to spend our money.

[Meleri]

The Final decision on the amount of Council tax will be made by the Full Council on Thursday 28th February. It has been discussed by Cabinet & various Scrutiny Committees but only the full Council can pass the amount.
Some interesting facts came up in the last Finance & Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting such as, Conwy has the highest rate of elderly residence over 65 in Britain at 30% yet Conwy were awarded the lowest settlement by the Government this year. Cardiff was given the highest award yet they have the lowest elderly population, yet it's a known fact more money needs to be spent on the elderly particularly when they have failing health. It's about time Central Government gave a fairer distribution of this money then CCBC wouldn't be faced every year with these large increases.
 

[SteveH]

Meleri,  could not agree more with your comments, it is just common sense...........and that's the problem.

[SteveH]

CCBC are looking all the time to cut costs as there has been yet another cut in funding they receive from Cardiff. When Denbighshire CC started charging for garden waste it was only a matter of time before Conwy followed. My daughter has been paying £50 annually in Berkshire for green waste collection, which is one green bin per fortnight. I can see a lot more fly tipping in Conwy County & people lighting bonfires polluting the air.

The posibility of charging for domestic garden waste in the Conwy county has been left residents outraged.

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[Ian]

As I've suggested elsewhere the CCBC councillors really have two choices: remain on the Council, arguing they can't do anything and continue to take their expenses or do the honourable thing and resign  But then - expecting politicians to be honourable is probably akin to watching for orbiting equines.

[Meleri]

A rather heated debate at the full CCBC meetings today resulting in the Council Tax being voted in at 9.6%. It was a very close call at 29 for, 25 against & 2 abstainers. One councillor asked if they could have a secret ballot, so it was put to the vote, but they voted against going down that route. Reason behind this ploy was I believe politics, so that each Councillor in his/her right could vote by what they felt not their political party, but CCBC have to be seen to be transparent & a secret ballot wouldn't have gone down well. It's about time our elected Councillors represented their electorate not their political parties, politics should be left at Westminster/Senedd.
As a little side note having to pay for our green waste will be on the agenda very soon 

In real terms it will be for Band D, CCBC £112.16 a rise of 9.6%, Police £19.98 a rise of 7.74% & Town Councils £1.83% a rise of 4.3%
2018/19 was £1,469.16
2019/20 £1,603.13

[DVT]

... there could be quite a saving in not wasting money with more and more speed bumps and those diaboliical red stripes on the A470 - wonder how many claims for suspension damage they'll get as driving over them at a maximum 20mph shakes your teeth out!

... they should use the tarmac to fill potholes instead of creating more bumps.

[Bri Roberts]

I watched the webcast this morning and I was surprised to learn there are 55,000 residents in Conwy County paying council tax and half of them claim the 25% single persons discount.

[Meleri]

Yes Bri we have discussed that on here before & it's something if I remember rightly Hugo thought should be looked at & so did I. Fair enough for the genuine claimants but I bet there are quite a few not entitled to it that are claiming & if this can be proved they should back date it & be made to pay it all back.
There is going to be a debate about Tourism Tax soon, CCBC are going to have to seriously start to look into more ways of bringing in more money to the County, as their reserves are the lowest in Wales.

[Bri Roberts]

I agree, Meleri, because CCBC do not hesitate in taking offenders to court when they are found guilty of claiming housing benefit when their personal circumstances change and they fail to inform CCBC.

[Hugo]

I remember you mentioning the 25 per cent reduction for Council Tax before and I would have thought that the Councillor who brought the matter up would have followed this up again.
The percentage of people claiming the 25 per cent reduction is just unbelievable and all that is required is a trial to see if it is viable to put resources and publicity into place to stop this fraud.

[norman08]

Hugo I couldn't believe that some people don't have to pay council tax 🤔, I sat there shaking my head sometimes, I don't like secret ballots But I think in there it would have been better , one councilor was in tears walking past me , didn't want to vote it in, the leader Gareth Jones had his head down most of the time , his cronies congratulating him after 😡  If that had been in a company boardroom they'd be thrown out.

[Meleri]

CCBC are conducting a "Garden Waste Collection Consultation" & are asking residents of the County to tell them what they think about charging for collecting garden waste.
Only 27% of Conwy budget comes from Council Tax, 54% from Welsh Government & a small amount comes from business rates & charges.
The funding from Welsh Government for 2019/20 is not enough to meet the pressure facing our schools & Social Services. This means there is a budget shortfall of £15.2 million & the need to make savings.
The garden waste collection is currently costing £620,000 a year & this is not longer affordable & they are considering either stopping the service or charging to cover some or all of the costs.
Gwynedd, Denbighshire & Flintshire are already charging for this service.

What do member of the Forum think of this & will you be contacting CCBC regarding this consultation?

[Hugo]

It depends on the charge for collecting the garden rubbish and how many garden bags you use.    I had a blitz on the garden one week and had 28 bags full of garden waste and had to make a few journeys to Mochdre  because they only collect 6 bags at a time
The costs that I have seen for collecting the waste don't look that dear considering that in the Summer I normally have 6 bags to collect but it's a different matter for those with smaller gardens and fewer bags to collect

There was something on the Welsh TV this week about people dumping garden waste in the countryside and the effects that it has on the surroundings so I hope that that doesn't happen if the CCBC puts a charge on for collecting the garden waste