Wages not risen as fast as council tax bills in East Sussex, claims opposition councillors

Wages have not risen anywhere near as quickly as council tax bills have been increased in East Sussex over the past half decade, according to opposition councillors. The county council is planning to increase its precept by 3.99 per cent in 2020/21, with two per cent of this ring-fenced to pay for adult social care. At a cabinet meeting today (Tuesday January 28), members heard how as well as making £3.5m of savings the Tory-led authority planned to use one-off money from the Government to invest £6.5million in a number of areas. However opposition members highlighted both the impact larger council tax bills would have on poorer residents and the effects of services cuts. The proposed council tax rise would mean an extra £57.20 on to a bill for a Band D property, with any increases from both district and borough councils and Sussex Police going on top. Philip Daniel, Lib Dem county councillor for Ringmer and Lewes Bridge, pointed out that since 2015/16 this would mean ESCC’s share of council tax for an average household has risen by nearly £300. This amounted to around a 24 per cent increase over five years, while average wages had only risen by around 13 per cent over the same period. He asked: "With cuts to council services and spending is that fair? Is that tolerable to residents?" His point was echoed by Labour co-group leader Godfrey Daniel, who felt too much of a financial burden was being placed on council tax payers. He argued there was no guarantee the Government’s fairer funding review would result in extra money for East Sussex County Council and pointed out that despite the extra one-off spending they were still continuing to make cuts. In response, Keith Glazier, leader of the county council, said: "I sit here with no joy that we are asking the people of East Sussex to pay more but I’m confident the plan that officers have just put before us is the best that we can possibly accept and I accept this Government have excelled themselves to get this temporary funding fix in place in 40 days." But he also questioned whether opposition members if they did plan to present alternative budget proposals next month would be able to find £12m of extra cuts instead of increasing  council tax. Carl Maynard, lead member for adult social care and health, felt a lot of ‘conjecture’ was taking place about what the results of the fair funding review would actually be. He added: "The mood music from government since the resounding election result has been one of pragmatic optimism." He particularly welcomed the extra funding provided by the government for social care, which is expected to be provided every year over the life of the current Parliament. Extra spending proposed in East Sussex includes extra highways funding for patching work, line repainting and installing dropped kerbs, money for improvements to residential homes for children with disabilities as well as delaying some previously agreed savings. The money could also help establish a project which helps young people with difficult lives access a range of support, expand the family-led process of making decisions for children at risk and get more personal support to help vulnerable people and families avoid homelessness. Bob Standley, lead member for education and inclusion, said: "We can look a bit doom and gloom, but we have got extra money and I think we should rejoice. "It is one-off money but I’m confident that funding will be coming long term from the fairer funding review." The county council is still facing a projected budget deficit in 2021/22 and 2022/23. Several opposition members raised the impact of the £134m the county council had cut over the last decade. Lib Dem Alan Shuttleworth said: "Austerity has not gone away, the problems have not gone away." More Radio is continuously dedicated to providing a quality news service on-air and online, reporting local stories that matter across Sussex. If you enjoyed reading this story, then check out our home page at moreradio.online where you can find the latest from the county, along with features and competitions from our presenters, as well as listening to the station live. You can also sign up to our news alerts to receive updates on new stories. Simply click on the bell at the bottom right of the home page. This will then allow a pop-up which will ask if you would like to receive alerts. Press ‘allow’ and you’re all signed up! You can also follow us on Facebook and on Twitter.