Anger at rises in council charges across Northumberland

Jan 15 2009 by Dave Black, The Journal

ANGER has erupted over plans to raise almost £800,000 for Northumberland’s new super-council by increasing the charges people pay for a raft of town hall-provided services.

Families across the county are facing rises of at least 5% on what they pay now, and in some instances will be charged for services currently provided free.

The price hikes – due to come into effect on April 1 when unitary local government is introduced – will affect charges for car parking, leisure centres, burials and cremations, pest control, licensing, bulky household waste collection and others.

They are aimed at helping the new unitary council balance its budget, make £25.5m worth of efficiency savings and limit a rise in council tax to about 4.8% in 2009/10.

The changes involve harmonising the different charges currently levied across the six district council areas, so that everyone pays roughly the same for services regardless of where they live.

Budget plans now out for public consultation propose increasing charges by either 5% above the current county highest, or 5% above the current average.

In some cases, however, charges will be levied for the first time.

These include an end to free bulky household waste collections in Blyth Valley and the introduction of fees for pre-planning advice across the county.

Now the Liberal Democrat administration at County Hall has come under fire for a policy of simply rounding charges up to the highest and then putting them up by another 5%.

Alnwick Independent councillor Gordon Castle said proposing a 5% increase in income from car parking charges was unfair, when free parking was set to be retained in Blyth Valley and Wansbeck this year.

“We are talking about increased income here but car parking is not a cash cow. Shops are being boarded up in Alnwick, businesses are suffering and increasing parking fees is not what the town wants to hear. We seem to be simply harmonising charges at the highest level.” Blyth Valley Labour councillor Deirdre Campbell said she was appalled at plans to charge local people up to £35 for the removal of bulky items of household waste.

At present the service is provided free by the borough council and at minimal cost in neighbouring Wansbeck.

“All this will result in is more litter and rubbish being dumped in the borough. All we are talking about for this new council is increased charges, cuts in services, higher council tax and hundreds of job losses.”

Council leader Coun Jeff Reid said providing a free bulky rubbish collection services across the county would cost the new authority almost £500,000.

“These proposed charges are vital in the context of this extremely difficult budget, but what people should realise is that we are genuinely consulting about them.

“If people feel any of these charges are unfair or too high then we will reconsider them.”