Bromsgrove District Council set to freeze council tax for residents

At the authority's latest meeting of the cabinet, held at the Council House on February 4, the portfolio holder for finance Councillor Michael Webb said he was "dropping a bombshell" and proposing the freeze.

This was a surprise announcement as cabinet members rejected a recommended council tax increase of 1.9 per cent.

Freezing council tax would leave a shortfall in the authority's budget of £63,000 and members agreed this would be released from balances in 2015/16.

Additional funding to support a freeze comes from the Government, which offers authority's a grant equivalent to a one per cent council tax increase.

During the meeting Councillor Webb praised officers saying it had been installed into every single one to look for savings, without making cuts to services.

He said the authority now wanted to give residents something back from the savings made and after the difficult decisions taken - wanting to share these savings with residents across the district.

A vote was taken and the recommendation was approved. A final decision will be made at the next full council meeting.

After the meeting leader of the Labour group, Councillor Luke Mallett, said the "last minute u-turn" would do nothing to restore the Conservative group's reputation.

He said: "The Conservatives must think the electorate of Bromsgrove are daft.

"As recently as September they blocked Labour’s call for a fully funded council tax freeze.

"The Conservatives have shown time and time again they can’t be trusted with the finances of the council."

• ALSO discussed at the cabinet meeting was the funding situation for Bromsgrove's Artrix Centre, in School Drive.

In January the Advertiser revealed Bromsgrove District Council was reducing funding to the Artrix from £120,000 to £60,000 per year.

The new funding arrangement was due to begin in March but Artrix directors said they would try to negotiate for an increase in the £60,000 proposed.

At the meeting, Cllr Webb said he had seen there had been a lot of press about the funding changes, and said reports the authority was halving the funding was "one way of looking at it".

He then pointed out the funding agreement was always going to end this year and, after a dialogue with the Artrix, they wanted to continue to support the venue into the future.

But he said members had a duty to be carefully with the public's purse, so proposed the money was ringfenced until evidence of the benefits for the public was provided by the centre.

After the meeting, Cllr Mallett said: "The decision to place a further question mark over funding is going in the wrong direction.

"The council must give assurance to the Artrix as soon as possible on what funding is available and do what is needed to ensure we continue to have such a leading arts centre in Bromsgrove."