Sheffield Council Tax Increase down to 1.39%

11.00.00am GMT Thu 4th Mar 2010

The controlling Liberal Democrat Group on Sheffield City Council has announced that they will recommend increasing Council Tax, excluding precepts, by 1.39% at the Authorities budget setting meeting on Friday 5th March. This is lower than the previously planned 1.5%. What's more Lib Dems have also announced that they have found an extra one off investment of £280,000 to help deal with some of the after effects of the Winter weather such as potholes and increased litter.

Lib Dems have managed to drive down costs even further at the Council, for example through freezing councillors allowances next year, and come up with the new investment and the lower Council Tax which will be the lowest that Sheffield has ever seen.

Cllr Simon Clement-Jones, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member for Finance and Customer Focused Services said: -

"Keeping Council Tax to an absolute minimum is a priority for the Liberal Democrats. So over the last few days and weeks we have been toiling away in the Town Hall to try and find more savings to bring down the proposed increase.

I'm delighted that not only have we managed to do this, but we have also been able to provide some much needed extra action to deal with the after effects of the harsh Winter weather."

The 1.39% increase, excluding precepts, will represent the lowest ever Council Tax increase in Sheffield and is well below the current 3.5% rate of inflation. Under Labour, Sheffield council taxpayers saw increases as high as 10% in one year.

Cllr Paul Scriven, Liberal Democrat leader of Sheffield City Council, added "It's clear that with Labour no longer in control at the Town Hall, massive council tax increases are a thing of the past. This latest move brings us even closer to delivering our ambition of a council tax freeze in two years time, something which Labour branded as impossible when we announced it in 2008."