Harlow Conservatives set to unveil their first budget
News / Sun 16th Jan 2022 at 11:31am
LAST May, the Conservatives won a shock landslide election victory to turn Harlow Council blue for only the second time in Harlow’s history.
Next Wednesday, they will unveil their long-awaited Budget. Will that Budget hail the major changes they promised at Harlow Council?
Today, the Leader of the Conservative Council, Russell Perrin, has alluded to just what residents can expect to see in the Budget.
Cllr Perrin said: “Last May, we promised every resident in the town that we would do two things:
“First, reduce the Council Tax they pay to Harlow Council.
“Second, deliver a new Council that works for them and invests in their priorities.
“Next week we will announce our first Budget and it will do both of those things.
“Residents will, for the first time ever, pay less Council Tax to Harlow Council than they did last year.
“But far more importantly our Budget will hail a new dawn of regeneration and renewal in our town.
“It will forge the path for a major programme of estate renewal and the rebuilding of the town centre.
“The Budget will invest more to improve every Council service and it will kickstart a new decade of renewal in our town.
“Next week, our Budget will deliver on the pledges we made to this town and it will invest your money in your priorities.”
In just four days time, we will see whether the Conservatives keep the pledges they made to the town.
H.Thompson
2022-01-16 12:39:21
If the tax bill goes down that means we will Ralect the conservative again. The only thing is Bois Johnson May put people off if we could get someone else’s to stand for election to prime minister we might get some where.
Tony Edwards
2022-01-16 12:51:54
Let us remember - in 2012/13 the Band D Council Tax was £1541.43 (£251.55 was set by Labour Controlled Harlow Council and £1289.88 was set by the Conservative Controlled Essex County Council and the Conservative Police and Fire Commissioner) In 2021/22 the Band D Council Tax was £1912.90 (£288.90 was set by the then Labour Controlled Harlow Council and £1623.93 was set by the Conservative Controlled Essex) So in nine years the element of your "Council Tax" set by Labour increased by £37.55 p whilst the element controlled by the Conservatives has increased by £334.05p
Connie Sosap
2022-01-16 13:34:33
How naive the previous comment. Every County Council collects tax irrespective of party to pay for services like Police and Fire Service, etc. If Labour had been in control of Essex, one can be certain that tax would have increased far, far more. Labour has never been the Party of low taxation or efficiency. As has been famously stated: “Socialism ends when they run out of other people’s money”. Fortunately, the good people of Harlow voted to end waste and profligacy and has an Administration that understands its duty to taxpayers to provide value for money whilst improving and protecting services.
Open eyes/minds
2022-01-16 15:56:55
All of it total utter rubbish... doesn't matter who's in Peter will always rob Paul ,& vise verser in what ever goes to on..the council do not have any of us in thought...only how much they don't spend & how big. Their bonuses will be..wake up smell the coffee what do any of them really do... everything is such an ordeal & fight to get done...but if you owe them anything then their up your arse until they get it or evicted & taken to court..no one of the public will win or get anything no matter how old or I'll you are...all they want at the end of the day is your money even when your dead they take your saving your pension the whole dam lot...this world of today is all about money money money...which only the rich have but they still go for the working class. ..
Pauline S
2022-01-16 17:03:59
Some interesting comments. However, perhaps I should point readers to look at ECC a Conservative Council with so many staff on exceptionally high salaries, a bit like the BBC. Yet some of their services have for decades been a complete disaster - potholes, just one example!
David Forman
2022-01-16 21:22:29
Unfortunately, Labour councillor Tony Edwards does not compare apples with apples. The County Council has all the big ticket items, such as adult social care, education, public health, roads, etc. Since 2011 adult social care has been increasing in cost and quite rapidly since 2015. Also, Covid-19 has placed a big cost increase to care, education and public health. The King's Fund Social Care 360 report published May 2021 used the latest data from the accounts year 2019/2020. They reported cost increases as follows: "The cost of purchasing home care services has also increased by more than inflation – 10.6 per cent in real terms since 2015/16. The cost of purchasing care home places has grown 9.0 per cent since 2015/16. COVID effects: Local authorities forecast that Covid-19 would create £6.9 billion of extra cost pressure in 2020/21, with more than £3 billion of these costs falling on adult social care." Labour councillor Tony Edwards is trying to make comparisons between dissimilar institutions with vastly different responsibilities and considerably different cost pressures. Trying to bullshit the public about public finances appears not to have ended with Labour chief secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne's infamous "I’m afraid there is no money" letter from 2010. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/09/liam-byrne-apology-letter-there-is-no-money-labour-general-election
gary roberts
2022-01-17 09:45:58
Based on the assertion by the leader of Harlow Council to regenerate the town, I look forward to the reply I will get to my question at the Full Council meeting in early February.
Tony Edwards
2022-01-18 10:20:54
David - on your point re comparing like with like I have done some further research and the increase of 1.88 % set last year by the Harlow Labour administration was the ninth lowest in the country for a District Authority. https://www.quittance.co.uk/conveyancing/advice/buying-a-property/council-tax-bands-table-of-all-uk-regions-202122
David Forman
2022-01-18 12:33:11
Dear Tony Edwards, thanks for your response. Nice to see that you (a) reflect upon constructive criticism, and (b) that you accept comparing district to county councils is not useful.
Connie Sosa
2022-01-18 20:33:39
After 10 years of Labour administration, Harlow District Council tax element is 20% higher than that of other councils in our region. Also, after being a councillor so long, Tony Edwards should know the distinction between district and county parts.
Leave a Comment Below:
10 Comments for Harlow Conservatives set to unveil their first budget: