Coventry people
will have to find an extra 7.9% in council tax under a radical Coventry Community Plan
announced by the city council today.
The average council tax bill for a household with two or more people will be £682 in
Coventry for the year 1999/2000. Houses in Band A will pay £35 a year more, those living
in houses in the top rated Band H will have to find an extra £146 a year.
The
extra cash is needed by the council to help fund its ambitious six point Coventry
Community Plan. Councillor Arthur Waugh, deputy leader of the council, said:
"This plan puts us in the forefront of new thinking for local government."
After nearly two years of consultation with various bodies the ruling Labour Group has
decided there are six priorities to be tackled.
They are jobs, crime, poverty, young people, the city centre and older people,
underpinned say the authors of the plan, by the principles of equality of opportunity and
social justice for everyone.
In a statement the Labour Group says that taking into account existing budget levels
and the switching of resources worth £16 million, the council tax increase would be 6%,
but this would not allow any increase in spending on services.
It had been decided therefore to increase the tax by a further 1.9% in order to provide
vital extra funding for the highest priorities.
The statement adds that the extra money would not be sufficient to address adequately
all the priorities of the Community Plan, or to do all the things the Government wanted in
the fields of education, crime, public transport and the environment, but it would make a
big impact.
"Some people will want more spending on services, others will want lower taxes,
but we feel the right balance has been found," said Councillor Waugh.
The council claims the spending programme is the most exciting in years. Every effort
will be made to increase the number of jobs available.
To reduce the crime rate there will be anti-burglary initiatives. Neighbourhood Watch
schemes will be further promoted and rangers will be introduced to cut out anti-social
behaviour in parks.
There will be an investment in education to help young people and pride in the city
centre will be engendered by improved parking, toilets, sign posting and security.
It is also aimed to help the elderly with a range of support programmes.
Councillor Waugh said:
"It would have been easy to announce a council tax rise of six per cent, but
Coventry would have been unable to go forward. There would have been no development of
services or opportunities.
"I do not believe that is what the people of Coventry want. I hope everyone will
reap the benefits of a spending programme which on average will cost less than £1 per
week per household."
