Council tax bills in Gedling borough will remain frozen for the third year running, it was agreed at a budget meeting tonight.
Gedling Borough Council also rubber-stamped plans to fund a new visitor’s centre at Gedling Country Park and give a pay increase to all but the most senior members of staff.
The council also announced it faced further reductions in the money it receives from central government – amounting to £2.4 million. This is on top of a £1.9 million cut in government grants that has already taken place.
John Clarke, Leader of Gedling Borough Council said: “In recent years, we’ve grown accustomed to having to deal with cuts in government funding but this latest financial settlement has hit us especially hard.
“Over a nine-year year period, we’ve had £4.3 million less to spend on Gedling residents, equivalent to a massive 49% cash reduction. We don’t like it but our approach has always been to concentrate on the money we have left rather than focus on what has been taken away”.
Since 2011, the council has been successful in delivering £4.2 million of savings and plans to invest in a new visitor centre, toilets and play facilities at Gedling Country Park; create new cemetery land at Carlton Cemetery and replace the artificial football pitch at Redhill Leisure Centre.
Free swimming sessions and a free period of bulky waste collections, along with a range of activities to create new homes and jobs were all part of a wide ranging agenda debated by Gedling councillors.
Also approved is a pay review of all but the most senior members of staff, to bring the pay of Gedling employees closer to the average pay of other councils.
John Clarke added: “Despite funding cuts, we remain ambitious for Gedling residents and are doing everything possible to kick-start the building of more houses and the creation of more jobs. We’re also continuing our good work to support the most vulnerable in society and create a more compassionate Gedling.
“This extends to treating our own staff more fairly in terms of what we pay them which at the moment is significantly below what other Councils pay and what they deserve to be paid. We want the very best for Gedling residents and we can’t achieve that if we continue to pay the worst”
Thats good news