Bristol council leader rules out adopting twin-tier 'Ryanair' charging

Bristol council leader Barbara Janke has ruled out a twin-tier system which would mean taxpayers would have to pay extra for anything above a basic service.

Tory-controlled Barnet Council in north London has decided to scrap a "one service fits all" approach and charge for services which are enhanced or personalised. The system has been dubbed a 'Ryanair model', after the no-frills airline, which places surcharges on "non-essential" items.

The Barnet system could involve using the phone or internet instead of dealing with a person, or paying for speeding up planning applications.

Councillor Janke said: "Our plans do not include providing a two or more tier service to the public in the way the Tories in Barnet seem to want to do. That's what their talk of personalisation of services could mean.

"Councils across the country are having to make major savings. The figure that we are currently looking at in Bristol is around £30 million. Clearly, if there are areas of our budget where we can save, we will have to consider doing so," she said.

"However, the reforms being proposed in Barnet talk about tailored or enhanced services, personalisation and charging for additional value-added services.

"It is our intention to ensure that high-quality services are maintained, particularly for vulnerable people.

"We are devolving budget and other decision-making powers in some areas, such as parks, some road maintenance and community centres, to neighbourhood partnerships. We believe this will give people more choice and power.

"This is a flagship policy for the Liberal Democrat administration in Bristol. The new neighbourhood committees will be in place in February and the budgets by the start of the next financial year, in April.

"This will include variation of contracts. But the Tory ideas for personalisation, where one service user can opt for a different level of service, is not the same thing at all. Even if that were acceptable to the public, I'm not sure that it would be possible or financially viable to organise services in this way.

"Taken to its logical conclusion, the poorest and most needy would get the lowest quality of service."

Barnet Council says its new approach will save up to £25m a year.

Residents will be consulted to decide "what level of services it is appropriate or indeed affordable for the council to provide".

Tory Council leader Mike Freer said the day of "one size fits all" for services had gone and councils had to adjust.

The opposition Labour group said the move could result in unequal services.

The Conservative council says it will outsource work, cut duplication and "customise" services for residents in a "relentless drive for efficiency".