West Suffolk Council meeting sees hostility over budget and tax rises
Councillors clashed on Tuesday night as West Suffolk Council met to confirm its budget and tax setting for 2021/22.
Some councillors were unhappy with the proposed tax rises while others called for fairer government funding.
Putting forward the proposals, portfolio holder Cllr Sarah Broughton said: “The council can be incredibly proud of the continuing role we have played in tackling Covid-19 and the extra demand for our services and support, but it all comes at a cost.”
The budget and tax rises proposal was passed by 44 votes to 15, with one abstention.
From March, former Forest Heath residents in Band D properties will pay £175.59 a year and former St Edmundsbury residents £185.40. They will eventually be equal under a ‘harmonisation’ plan, which started last year.
Cllr Victor Lukaniuk, representing Brandon Central, said he would vote against the budget.
He said: “This is a seven per cent increase for former Forest Heath areas and the reason given is harmonisation, the problem is in Brandon we are not harmonised in the way of facilities.
“When we amalgamated, the leader said we can all share the prosperity – maybe what he should have said was we can all share the prosperity, except for Brandon.”
Cllr Phil Wittam agreed, saying Brandon was the ‘poor relation of the West Suffolk area’.
Labour’s Cllr Diane Hind said she would vote against it due to wanting fairer funding from government.
She said: “This continuing failure to provide councils with adequate and fair funding streams is morally and financially wrong.
“The Labour group does not wish to be complicit in a budget-setting process that willingly accepts the government’s policy of (under)funding local authorities.”
Council leader Cllr John Griffiths said: “I and many others have lobbied very hard to get fairer funding from the government, with two MPs, ministers and the Prime Minister even.
“I think it would be wrong to think that we willingly accept insufficient government funding – in fact we are doing an awful lot to do our very best in the circumstances.
Turning to Brandon, he said: “I could have sworn we invested £1 million into the leisure services there and I am sure Victor and Phil would probably agree that our families and communities work is having a benefit.
“I hope they can rejoice in the good things happening throughout West Suffolk rather than actually doing down other areas.
“I take the points they are making but I represent Ixworth, if we had £1 million put into leisure services here we would bite your arm off.”
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