24/02/10 - Trafford Conservatives hail Council Budget which will deliver the lowest Council Tax rise in Trafford's history and extra investment in resident's priorities

Local Conservative Councillors have unveiled the Council's spending plans for next year with key commitments as follows:

Value for Money

• Lowest-ever Council Tax increase in Trafford’s history. The Lowest Council Tax in the North West of England in 2010/11.
  
  
• Continued improvements and investment despite receiving lowest possible Government grant settlement year on year.  Trafford receives 34% (£202) less per head than the Greater Manchester average.  This would be worth £546 per band D property (50%)
   
• The Council has delivered £72M in efficiency savings since 2004 and through an ambitious Transformation Programme, will deliver a further £6m in the next financial year through sustainable efficiencies.  This is worth £75 per band D property.
  
  
• The Council will be more transparent in how it spends its money.  Starting in the new financial year it plans to publish each quarter how much as been spent with each supplier.  Detail of expense claims made by Councillors will also be published.
  
  
• Labour raised Council Tax by 12.9 per  cent in a single year when they were in control, squandered reserves of £18 million and were labelled as 'weak' by inspectors.
  
  

A Cleaner, Greener Borough

• Local Conservatives will allocate an additional £120,000 for an additional street-cleaning team, resulting in thousands of miles of additional street cleaning per year.
  
  
• 47% of household waste is now recycled or composted. Under Conservative control, Trafford now sends less waste to landfill than any other Borough in Greater Manchester, yet the service is the most cost effective compared to neighbouring authorities.
  
  
• Recycling rates were a mere 7.5% when Labour were in control.
  

 
Better Roads and Pavements

• As promised, we will invest £5.5M in our highways which brings the total investment over three years to £24M.  21 extra miles of road will be resurfaced as well as improvements to bridges and street lighting.  This will see reduced energy consumption through more environmentally friendly street lights.
  
  
• Labour invested next to nothing in our roads and pavements.
  
  
• The Lib Dems want to cut our investment by half.
  

Improving Health & Wellbeing for Adults

• We will continue to deliver personalised budgets that gives choice and control to service users
  
  
• £1.4M for increased client numbers and need
  
  
• Providing low level preventative services and providing more re-ablement and intermediate care to increase independence
  
  
• Trafford's Adult Social Care is one of only 26 Councils to achieve an excellent rating for providing 'Choice and Control'. As a result of personalised budgets, more residents are able to stay in their own homes.
  
  
• Under Labour in 2002, inspectors reported that Services for Adults had 'all but collapsed'.
  
  

Preserving and Improving Educational Excellence

• We will invest over £1m extra in caring for the most vulnerable children in the borough, including £300,000 increase for Safeguarding children, £600,000 to tackle youth homelessness and £400,000 for 1800 days of short term breaks for families with disabled children.
  
  
• Trafford's children receive the best education in the country. In 2009 Trafford had the best GCSE and A-level results in the North West despite receiving the lowest Government funding per pupil in Greater Manchester.
  
  
• Labour Councillors have actively sought to abolish our Grammar and High schools in the past.
  
  

Fighting Crime

• Tackling crime was top priority for residents in our recent budget consultation. In response we are investing an additional £100,000 for increased patrols and £50,000 on alley gating schemes.
  
  
• Through extra investment and close working with the Police, gun crime has fallen by 39% between 2006 and 2009. Our work in this area has received national recognition.
  
  
• Under Labour, Police numbers in Greater Manchester are to be axed to balance the books.
  

Executive Member for Finance, Cllr John Tolhurst said:

" We have taken note of our residents' priorities and are setting the lowest Council Tax increase in Trafford's history together with real investments in front line services. Trafford will again have the lowest Council Tax in Greater Manchester despite receiving the worst possible increase in grant from the government. The investment programme in our road network will continue making it worth £24m over 3 years, repairing the damage left by Labour. Continuing investment in Adult Social Care will ensure our vulnerable residents are looked after in the best and safest possible way. The budget for 2010/11 will produce services that are prioritised for next year whilst investment will ensure that Trafford is well placed to weather the extremely difficult financial conditions that will persist into the future.”

Deputy Leader and Prospective MP for Stretford and Urmston, Alex Williams said:

"This budget builds on our record for improved services and value for money. We will set the lowest Council Tax rise in our history and remain the lowest Council Tax authority in the North West, despite one of the worst Government funding settlements in England. But this does not mean that we provide poor services. On the contrary, our residents are able to recycle more than anyone else in Greater Manchester, Trafford children achieve the best results in the region, our roads and pavements are cleaner and better maintained and our communities are the safest in the county.''

“Through our Service Improvement and Transformation programmes we have generated £72m of efficiencies since we took control of the Council in 2004. We plan to go even further. As a result of Labour's economic incompetence, we are forecasting 20% reductions in Government cash over the next 4 years. We are planning for this through investing in new technology and ways of working to make our back office and administration even more efficient so we can protect the front line from the damage that Labour's cuts will cause.''

Leader of the Council, Cllr Matthew Colledge said:

"At a time when finances are stretched across the country we are increasing spending on residents priorities such as street cleaning, new roads and pavements, education and tackling crime whilst at the same time delivering the lowest council tax rise in 36 years. This Conservative Council will continue to put the needs of residents at the heart of all that we do’’.