Both Hull City Council and N. E. Lincolnshire Councils Are Putting Council Tax Up

North East Lincolnshire Council voted through a 1.98% caouncil tax rise last night, following Hull City Council's decision to boost theirs by 1.9% too.

It's as North East Lincolnshire Council needed to make a saving in the coming year's budget of £20.9 million.

Council Leader Chris Shaw said: "These successive grant settlements are forcing us to contemplate decisions that none of us came into local government for in the first place," "Local government continues to be by far the most efficient part of the public sector, annually driving out millions of pounds of savings and efficiencies, but this current Government seems intent on continuing to make local people in this area suffer as a result of their funding cutbacks." * * "That means the Government is continuing to ask for more in terms of forcing budget reductions, but we need to make sure we’re doing the best we can with the reducing pot we’re getting, while making the most of the opportunities we have." * * "According to the Local Government Association, by 2016 councils will have 40% less core funding than they had in 2011 and the stark facts are those cuts mean we simply cannot afford to fund all those services which help residents. As a result we need to continue to look into new ways of working and we cannot operate in isolation from our partners. To do that properly, we also have to be clear with our communities and each other about what this Council's affordable service offering should be." Proposals in the budget included:

• A capital programme of £20.9m for 2015/16- to include regeneration, leisure and transport schemes, school buildings, disabled facilities, housing assistance, social care support along with changes to the Council's property portfolio and IT systems; - A 1.98% increase in Council Tax (notwithstanding any increases in the Police and Fire Authority precepts) for each of the next four years; - Specific savings and efficiency proposals to services of £7.8m in 2015/16, incorporating a number of new income streams; - Changes to a range of ways the Council provides support for the community, working closer with local partners and groups to enable services to be delivered and further reductions in its back office services to reflect the smaller authority model.

Meanwhile, Hull City Council's budget, passed yesterday afternon - needed to make a reduction in funding od £28 million.

And council leader Stephen Brady said their Council tax rise was essential to protect our frontline services:

"You have to cut your cloth according to your means. And by getting a 4p a day increase for people, what we are getting is the security that elderly people in care homes are still protected, we've still got day care centres open, we've still got protection services for the young."

"We've done it for the last 4 years by the same amount. If we hadn't of put the council tax up by that small percentage, we would today be facing another 4, to 4 and a half million pound reduction in services. Now that's the type of money that's keeping the libraries going, the care homes open, the music service running."

"Nobody likes anything to go up, but I think they would understand. We're thinking about the future, and their children and all the people of Hull."