Bristol council tax rate revealed

Bristol City Council has pledged to keep council tax rises at 3.5 per cent for the next two years.

The hike falls just below the current 3.8 per cent inflation rate and the four per cent tax rise which came into effect at the start of this financial year in April.

It means an average Band D property will see its council tax bill rise by £44 to £1,316.52 in 2009 and £46 to £1,362.60 in 2010.

On top of that, taxpayers will have to pay about £154 a year for the police precept and £56 for the fire service. The figures will be confirmed when the budgets are decided in February next year.

Bath and North East Somerset Council is aiming to keep its council tax rise to 3.95 per cent next year, with South Gloucestershire targeting 4.49 per cent.

The executive member for North Somerset Council, which had a tax rise of just 1.9 per cent this year, said it was too early to say how council tax rates would change in the next two years.

Bristol City Council said it was trying to keep council tax as low as possible while saving money to deliver its priorities.

It hopes to save £20 million in the next three years by streamlining its operations.

Jobs have already been lost as a result of the council's so-called Business Transformation Programme, and chief executive Jan Ormondroyd said there may be more cuts on the way. But she said most of the job losses would come from 'natural wastage' of the 16,700 posts at the council.

Staff would be retrained and relocated as much as possible, she said, and 400 posts would become obsolete.

One of the main investments planned for the next few years is the expansion of a customer service call centre, which already employs more than 200 people in Brunel House.

Councillor John Bees (Lab, Kingsweston), cabinet member for resources, said: “This is an ambitious three-year plan that shows our absolute determination to minimise council tax rises, deliver better value for money and invest in the priority services that Bristol people tell us matter most to them.

“It isn't intended to be a detailed budget but provides a broad indication of our general financial direction.

“It won't be easy to deliver and certainly sets us some stretching targets to meet. However, if we can meet those targets we will make a real difference to the most vulnerable of our residents and deliver a safer and healthier city with better neighbourhoods to live in.”

The city council has also published its Medium Term Financial Plan for the next three years, ending in April 2011.

It plans to spend a further £7.5m on care for the elderly and vulnerable, nearly £4.5m on environmental improvements and about £2.5m on recycling initiatives.

Savings will include more than £2m from the termination of the Home Care Futures programme, more than £7m from changes in the social care department, and the sell-off of £800,000 of council buildings.

Councils in the Bristol area are aiming to economise as much as possible in a bid to ease the pressure on family budgets.

Councillor Malcolm Hanney, resources member for B&NES, said: “Bath and North East Somerset Council has a budget assumption of a 3.95 per cent council tax increase for the financial year 2009/10.

“However, in recognising the financial pressures being experienced by local residents, including mortgage pressures and increased energy costs, the council will strive for a council tax increase as low as practicable.”

A spokesman for South Gloucestershire Council said: “At the annual budget meeting in February, it was agreed by all three political groups that an indicative council tax increase of 4.49 per cent was planned for 2009/10 and 2010/11.

“The council also set a target of achieving efficiency savings of three per cent each year to be invested in frontline services.

“The council aims to have an average council tax level, but this is challenging given that the council is one of the lowest funded unitary authorities in the country.”

Councillor Tony Lake, from North Somerset Council, said: “Our aim is to keep the council tax increase as low as possible and we hope that will be below inflation.

“We are working on plans to reduce our expenditure, but won't have a definitive figure on council tax for some time yet.”