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0% rise in council tax
South Ribble Council will not be increasing its share of council tax for 2010/11 – but only after agreeing another cost-cutting budget.
Plans for the 0 per cent increase were announced on Monday with the promise of empty bins, clean streets and safer communities.
However, whilst residents will rejoice at the news, the future appears less rosy for senior managers and charities in the borough.
The Leyland-based local authority saved nearly 2.3m from its 2009/10 budget and faces having to trim another 920,000 this time round.
The 41-page draft budget includes plans to save 250,000 from senior managers, sparking immediate fears of job losses.
In the last year the number of staff employed at the council dropped from around 365 to 330.
With public sector spending set to be squeezed after the general election, the council has decided not to reinstate the funding
controversially cut to a number of local charities last year, including
South Ribble Women's Refuge, Victim Support and homeless charity SLEAP.
Volunteers at Leyland's over-subscribed Citizen's Advice Bureau, who have seen a massive spike in their workload caused by the recession, have even had their funding cut by 10,000.
Coun Stephen Robinson, cabinet member for finance and resources, said the budget was about giving the public the choice of how their money was spent.
"It's a realistic budget," he told the Leyland Guardian.
"It has been a difficult 12 months but we have managed to protect frontline services while increasing our efficiencies.
"We have not made any compulsory redundancies but have managed to save more than 2m.
"We aim to save just under another million this year.
"There's not a bottomless pit but we believe freezing our share of the council tax is the best thing for residents."
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Weather for Leyland
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy sleet
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 7 C
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