Budget amendments see cash for homeless and heating and no garden waste fee hike
25/02/2025
As the budget is approved one councillor warns that car parking price hikes are “self-defeating”
The proposed £6 increase in garden waste collection fees won’t now be happening.
Changes to Cherwell District Council’s Liberal Democrat budget were proposed by Conservative councillors last night, including scrapping the proposed hike in brown bin fees.
Other changes included £100,000 being put into a Heating Hardship Fund, for those pensioners worst affected by the loss of the winter fuel payment, and an extra £65,000 to prevent homelessness.
A Land Drainage Officer would also be appointed at a cost of £51,000 to complete more effective work on flood alleviation.
Councillor Eddie Reeves proposed the changes. He said: “The amendment before you is modest in financial scope. It is, none-the-less, significant in what it seeks to achieve with the modest amount that it sets aside
“The net quantum of this amendment is £189,000, which in the scheme of a revenue budget of £26.2 million, is objectively small.”
The Council’s Liberal Democrat Leader David Hingley reminded the chamber that he had always said he was more than willing to take on-board matters of concern from other councillors.
He said: “There is much in this amendment that I support and I believe, overall, subject to certain concerns, that the asks it makes are by and large acceptable and can be included within the budget and later work.
“In particular, as has been highlighted, the extra funding proposed for homelessness support is welcome.”
Councillor Lynn Parsons from the Labour group also supported the amendment, but hoped it was being proposed for the right reasons.
“I wouldn’t want to suggest for one minute that the amendment proposed by him is a cynical attempt at pre-electioneering, or indeed political gamesmanship.
“Nonetheless, I intend to support it. It’s good to see that the Conservative group are following in the footsteps of the Deputy Prime Minister in proposing additional funding for a variety of issues and, importantly, for homelessness and those living in temporary accommodation.”
The amendments were accepted and became part of the overall budget, which Councillors then agreed.
But with another increase in car parking charge included in the budget, Bicester Councillor Les Sibley warned those at the meeting the council had to address the issue of our town centres becoming “ghost towns”.
He said, describing a very different situation at out-of-town shopping locations around Bicester and other towns such as Witney and Thame: “Shopping outlets are booming because of free car parking on their sites. To increase town centre car parking charges at this time is self-defeating.
“I hope that, perhaps at a later stage, the Executive and the Council could look at seeing what we can do to improve the situation and bring about more free car parking.”
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
