Council tax is frozen in Dudley but cuts are coming

Members of Dudley Council pushed through the Labour-proposed budget for 2013-14 last night.

It includes the need to find savings of £27.5 million over the next three years and £11m over the next 12 months. It is expected about 131 job posts will be lost, although finance bosses predict only 19 of these will be compulsory redundancies.

Councillor Peter Lowe, cabinet member for finance, put forward the proposed budget for approval at last night's meeting.

He said: "We want to find innovative ways to protect these services - before we wield the knife we will look at alternative ways to save the money."

Councillor Lowe said the cuts were in response to the 19 per cent reduction in funding from the Government over the next three years.

He said a decision to keep council tax frozen for a third year running was down to the current economic situation and a four-month consultation which involved more than 4,000 people.

Most people answering the consultation said they would pay more in their council tax – but 60 per cent said an increase should not be more than two per cent.

Councillor Lowe said: "We think in these hard economic times and having listened to the people of Dudley that a council tax freeze is by far the best option we can offer.

"Make no doubt, there are tough times ahead, but if we can continue to listen to the public and find ways to save money while, where possible keeping community assets, we will be pleased."

He added: "I was pleased that the opposition agreed to the budget and I would encourage them to join us in our fight to the Government to stop the continued cut in funding."

Speaking at last night's meeting, shadow cabinet member for finance, Councillor David Blood, backed the move for the council tax freeze, but called for more details about the council's planned savings to be given.

He raised fears over cuts to elderly adult care, children's services and the Broadfield House Glass Museum, which under the budget could be considered for transfer to a third party, potentially raising £170,000 by 2015/16.

But leader David Sparks, who also backed the council freeze, said the asset transfer of the museum was only at a proposal stage and he had ordered nothing to be done about it for a year.

Other savings proposed under the budget for the next three years include £1million from management costs, £450,000 from a 20 per cent increase in parking fees and £470,000 from grounds maintenance.

It also includes a £10,000 savings from closing a public toilet in Court Street, Stourbridge, and £71,000 from increased community-led litter pickings.

The budget includes a new weekly rubbish collection, the building of new council homes and the offering of council tax payments over 12 months, instead of the current 10.