At Hyndburn’s Council meeting on Thursday evening, Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson, announced that Hyndburn’s element of Council Tax would not rise for 2013/14.
Cllr Parkinson said; “In these difficult economic times we don’t want to add to the pressure Hyndburn people are already experiencing and so there will be no rise in the Hyndburn element of Council Tax. This is the second year we haven’t increased it and we expect to be able to maintain no increases for the next two years.”
At the meeting Cllr Parkinson also announced that the Council had made over £1.2m of savings, mainly from improvements in efficiencies and better ways of working have been generated ahead of the Budget. This is 10% saving on the Council’s overall budget.
Cllr Parkinson also said; “ Despite the financial pressures we have set money aside to assist the most needy with money to help deal with the major changes on council tax benefits and agreed to a pan Lancashire funding scheme to help the victims of domestic violence. We are also maintaining our commitment to invest in the local community and the future of Hyndburn with a wide ranging capital programme of over £6.3m, including over £4m earmarked to support critical changes to Woodnook and our poor housing stock in general.
We are also supporting two major funding bids to improve leisure and community facilities in Great Harwood at Lyndon Playing Fields and at Milnshaw Park for an all-weather play facility. This year we will also be progressing a Heritage Lottery Bid to provide a major uplift of Blackburn Road Town Centre area to improve the buildings and shopping along the crucial high street in Hyndburn.”
Cllr Parkinson concluded “We also intend to continue to reduce our debts whenever possible and to continue on our quest to reduce the overall costs of the Council and improve our value for money during the year.”
The Hyndburn Labour group have also managed to reduce the amount of debt inherited from Cllr Peter Britcliffe's Conservative administration from around £12.9m in May 2011 to approximately £11.2m. Further reductions in this debt remain a priority in order to curtail the amount of outgoings in interest payments.
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