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CLLR IAN CLEMENT WRITES
Since my last column, Bexley Council has voted through the borough’s lowest Council Tax increase for 13 years.
The budget we’ve agreed will see a Council Tax increase of just 3%.
The bill you receive through your door will show a slightly larger rise, because Bexley also has the job of collecting the Council Tax for the Mayor of London, who increased his part of the tax by 5.3%.
It was important to us to keep our promise to deliver a value for money budget that delivered the lowest possible Council Tax rise for Bexley residents. And it’s not just a one-off. There will be no huge tax hikes on my watch.
Getting the Council’s spending back to a level we are happy with has not been easy, especially because we inherited spending plans from the previous administration that would have led to a 10% Council Tax increase.
We were determined to get the budget under control and now have a firm foundation on which we can plan for the future. The days when the Council spent more than it could afford are over. No more credit card council.
Last May local residents voted for a change and we listened. We’ve set the lowest Council Tax we could, but we know you still want us to maintain the quality of your local services.
Our budget includes improvements to the way in which services are delivered, as well as some £6 million of savings, which are linked to changes in the way the Council works.
Our plans are all about listening to you and taking action to improve the things you care about most.
In the spring I’ll tell about you how our new focus on local neighbourhoods will make life better. Ward councillors, the Council and our partners will be working to improve the quality of life of local communities right across the borough. We’re putting the plans in place now and I am looking forward to rolling them out in the summer.
John Austin Writes
February saw the opening of the new Children’s Centre at Greenmead in Thamesmead. At the last election I spoke of the success of the new centre in Erith, since when there have been new projects in Slade Green and Abbey Wood and a new centre in Plumstead has received the go-ahead.
There are now more than one thousand Sure Start Children’s Centres in the country and soon the figure will more than double. Some centres are new facilities in new buildings, like the one at West Street in Erith; others are using existing buildings but delivering services in a different way with health services, education and social services working together with the voluntary sector and other agencies to deliver a co-ordinated service. It’s a fantastic service, helping parents before their kids are born, after they are born; it helps mums and dads get work as well and to get help with childcare.
It is all about giving children, especially those from deprived areas and low-income families, a sure start in life.
A lot has been spoken recently about the need to support families. As well as the support in the early years with Children’s Centres like the new one in Thamesmead, there is the need for financial support. The people who need it most get the most help with the Children’s Tax Credit and help with child care costs. It’s not yet enough, but none of it existed before 1997. There is more that we need to do to help people off welfare and into work and that means an even more dramatic increase in child care facilities, nurseries, breakfast clubs and after school clubs and more to help people balance work and family life. That’s why the government is increasing maternity pay and maternity leave, and why we have introduced paternity leave. It’s all about trying to help families whether the principal carer, usually the mother, goes out to work or not.
The poorest families are £3,400 better off today on average than 1997 - thanks to the New Deal in Employment and Tax Credits. These are services that need to be defended and expanded.
Over the past month, I have had extensive discussions with the Bexley Care Trust about their plans to reshape local health services. Part of the Government’s agenda is to shift more money into primary care and services in the community, with an emphasis on prevention, and I welcome this. I felt, however, that a number of proposals being put forward by the Bexley Care Trust could have an adverse effect on community services. I have raised several specific concerns with the Secretary of State and the Trust and have received lengthy responses. If any of your readers would like a copy of my list of concerns and the responses, I would be happy to send these – you can write requesting a copy to John Austin MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA or telephone 020 7219 5195 or email austinj@parliament.uk
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