Angus Council: Council set to put brakes on parking charges re-introduction as budget looms
Council set to put breaks on re-introducing parking charges as budget
Last updated 27th Feb 2024
Angus Council’s SNP administration looks set to reject recommendations to re-introduce parking charges and axe school crossing patrollers.
Ahead of Thursday’s budget meeting, council officials recommended scrapping school crossing patrollers in a bid to save £50,000 in the next financial year, and around £250k in 2025/26.
Also proposed was a re-introduction of parking charges in town centres.
But council leader Beth Whiteside has confirmed the administration will not be agreeing to the cost-cutting plans when the budget is set in three-day’s time.
She said: “Despite the challenges we face, we have chosen not to re-introduce parking charges into our town centres at this time.
“We have listened to business owners and are well aware of the potential impact the charges could have on our economy.
“Our town centres are important to our economy and need our help, not a further handicap.”
What is going up?
Angus residents, however, can expect to see a 10% hike across almost all council charges for 2024/25.
And there is set to be even more substantial hikes in other services. These include:
- A council house rent increase of 6.7%, the highest for more than a decade, has already been approved by councillors.
- The collection cost of a garden waste bin is set to jump 25% this year – rising from £40 to £50.
- There are also plans to cut the number of community wardens by a third to save £175k.
Council tax freeze
It’s not yet been confirmed whether Angus Council will approve a council tax freeze.
But council chiefs warned if the freeze is given the green-light, future hikes in council tax rates will be unavoidable.
Councillor Bill Duff, the local authority’s’ finance convener, said: “For several years Angus Council has been warning citizens of impending financial pressures.
“Perhaps some people thought we were crying wolf? The bad news is that the wolf is at the door.
“Our budget gap over the next three years is £37m and significant increases in council tax are now inevitable – whether we choose to freeze the tax this year or not.”