Bury Council approves budget for 2010/11

Date published: 25 February 2010

It was announced at a special meeting of the council on February 24 that the Bury Council element of this year’s council tax is set to rise by 3.39%.

It means that the bill for a Band D property will rise from £1,404.08 to £1,456.73 - an increase of £52.65 a year, or £1.01 a week.

The borough’s over-65s who do not receive council tax benefit will once again pay a lower rate, some 3.39% less than the amount charged to everyone else.

In this year’s budget the council has had to address a £2.5 million pound deficit.

All departments were asked to draw up lists of savings options, and this has been achieved without the need for compulsory redundancies and cuts to front-line services.

The council is also directing additional money towards priority areas including: 

• £250,000 for services for older people 
• £200,000 towards tackling domestic violence and alcohol abuse 
• £100,000 to help meet climate change targets 
• £100,000 to undertake additional road repairs following the severe winter weather 
• £450,000 to offset the effects of the recession on the income that the council earns from fees and charges

Councillor Iain Gartside, executive member for resource, said: “This is a budget for the future. We have put extra money into priority areas while at the same time protecting priority services and the jobs of our staff.

“We would have liked to have set a lower Council Tax rise but factors outside our control have prevented this. Other councils have kept their rises low by taking imprudent measures like using savings and cutting services, and we were not prepared to risk the council’s future by doing this. I am pleased that we have been able to continue with the discount for the over-65s and unlike other councils we will once again let people spread their bills over 12 months.”

The council tax bill also includes elements which Bury Council does not set, i.e. payments to Greater Manchester Police and GM Fire and Rescue Service. Once these are added, people’s total bill will increase by 3.75%.

The council encourages people to pay their bills by direct debit - more than half of Bury households already do so. It gives residents a choice of three payment dates in the month - the 5th, 15th or 25th.

If you want to switch to paying by direct debit, call 0161 253 5656. If you already pay this way, there is no need to ring unless you wish to change your bank details or your instalment date.

People who pay monthly instalments by cash or cheque have to pay on the 5th of the month. Full details of where to pay will be listed on the back of the bill when it arrives.

Some people are entitled to a reduction in their bill. The most common reasons for this are on the grounds of low income, or for being the only person living in your home, but there are several other ways to qualify for a discount.

If you think you may be entitled to council tax benefit, ring 0161 253 5008 or email housingbenefits@bury.gov.uk
The council tax for each property band for the financial year 2010/11 is:
Band A…£971.15
Band B…£1,133.01
Band C…£1,294.87
Band D…£1,456.73
Band E…£1,780.44
Band F…£2,104.17
Band G…£2,427.88
Band H…£2,913.46