Herefordshire CT referendum, Business rates collection, Peterborough network, Brum CEO search
0CT referendum for Herefordshire?
Herefordshire council is looking to save a further £15m in 2014/15. The council’s adult social care budget could see a reduction of £5m and children’s services £2m, according to proposals. The council is also consulting on a 5% council tax rise. If the council decides to go ahead with the hike it will hold a referendum costing £160,000. The increase would raise £2.4m.
Councils collect 98% of business rates
The Audit Commission has found that councils collected £21.9bn in business rates of £22.4bn due in 2012/13. Amounts collected by individual authorities ranged from £1.3m to £1.6bn. Arrears stand at £1.2bn. “As this local tax remains to be collected, it cannot currently be used to support the delivery of services,” reported the Audit Office. The Local Government Association responded to the news saying that councils had collected nearly 98% of rates owed last year. “If central government’s collection rates matched those of councils the public purse would be more than £20bn better off,” said the chair of the LGA finance panel, Councilor Sharon Taylor.
Peterborough to become gigabit city
Peterborough City Council is entering into a strategic partnership that will see up to £30m invested in a fibre optic network. It will have some of the fastest internet available in the UK, with speeds of at least one gigabit per second: 40 times quicker than existing superfast broadband.
DCLG plays hardball with Oxfordshire
The Department for Communities and Local Government has once again asked councils to spend their reserves. Oxfordshire County Council had asked Eric Pickles to come and defend the cuts the government is asking of the authority. Speaking to local press Heather Monro, DCLG spokesperson said that Pickles had no plans to visit the region. She said: “There is more councils can do to recover the £2bn a year of uncollected council tax, reduce the £2bn lost to fraud and use the £19bn of reserves they hold, such as the £131m held by Oxfordshire County Council, to reduce waste and protect frontline services.”
Birmingham starts search for chief
Birmingham City Council has confirmed after a month-long consultation that it has started to look for a new chief executive. Birmingham will move to three directorates, for economy, people and place.
Outgoing chief executive Stephen Hughes talks to Room 151 Quarterly magazine about the future for Brum – on desks soon.
