Exeter's council tax to rise

It means the average Band D share will rise to £160 a year

Council tax in Exeter will rise after the Labour administration’s budget plans were backed.

They include an increase of £5 a year in the City Council’s slice of the bill, with the average Band D share rising to £160.05.

The plans were backed by the opposition Conservative Group, while an alternative budget put forward by the Progressive Group was rejected.

Putting forward his budget, Cllr Phil Bialyk, leader of the council said: “Exeter is a fantastic place and I am proud of what the city has achieved and the role that everyone has played in our success.

“I think people will be surprised with what we manage to achieve with our small share of their hard-earned council tax.

“Exeter City Council has the fourth lowest council tax in the country. But just like Exeter Chiefs, the only rugby club in the country that makes a profit, and our football club, with its unique trust model, we achieve remarkable things on modest means.

“This is a budget which builds on the good work by all to date, and is a budget that promotes a city with a vision.

“A city that welcome everyone and works with business, city that is healthy and inclusive. A city of literature and culture. A city of accessible education for all. A city that will become carbon neutral by 2030 – it is our city, and our future. This is a balanced budget to protect and maintain the services for the city that the residents most need.”

Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, leader of the Conservative Group, said that it was a good budget that his group would support, but the Progressive Group outlined alternative budget proposals that would see public toilets reopened and two new officer posts created; one to ensure Exeter City Council implements a city wide plan to tackle the climate emergency and another to enforce planning conditions to protect the city’s built and natural environment.

The measures would have been paid for by ending free parking in the city centre on Thursday evenings, cutting free sandwiches for councillors at meetings and cancelling a consultancy budget.

Putting forward the alternative budget, Cllr Diana Moore said: “These sensible and fully costed amendments are all designed to protect our great city now and into the future. The climate emergency is the greatest challenge facing us over the next twenty years. The havoc caused by recent storms could become the norm unless we act fast. Exeter has pledged to play its part by becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030.”

Leader of the Progressive Group, Cllr Kevin Mitchell, added: “At a time when Exeter is growing rapidly it is essential that there is an officer responsible for enforcing planning conditions. It is the norm for cities the size of Exeter to have such an officer and we believe it is vital that residents in the city have someone who’s sole responsibility is to protect the city’s built and natural environment.”

Cllr Michael Mitchel added: “Our budget amendment is an opportunity to flush away distorted priorities that sees a few free parking spaces instead of free public toilets for all. An estimated £35,000 could be collected by re-introducing parking charges on Thursday evenings and benefit both visitors and residents. This together with saving thousands spent on sandwiches which are usually only half eaten could help fund the reopening of some of the city’s public toilets.”

But Cllr Bob Foale said that while the proposals were innovative and may be affordable, he questioned whether they were sustainable. He added: “Once we have paid for them, the money is gone and they would not be sustainable in the current financial climate. While they are attractive, they are not sustainable,” while Cllr Emma Morse added that while she welcomed that an alternative budget had been proposed, she added that if the problems were that simple, ‘do you not think we would have done them?’

Cllr Bialyk added that the council is set to face a further funding gap of £3.7m in future years, and said: “We have got some big decisions to make. We have done a great job of maintaining the most of what we do under the circumstances.”

He criticised the Progressive Group for not raising any concerns that they had over the lack of planning enforcement and said that to use CIL money to reopen the public toilets would mean that they would have to take it away from the community grants budget.

Cllr Bialky added: “I am fed up with the continual knocking of the city and what we do. This is cheap populism and we have found you out. We need to get this budget done.”

Councillors voted by 29 votes to three, with one abstention, to reject the Progressive Group amendment, and then by the same number in favour of the Labour Group’s budget.

Cllr Bialyk added that this was laying the foundations for the city to become Net Carbon Zero by 2030 was the Council’s top priority, and he praised the work of key partner Exeter City Futures in developing a carbon neutral roadmap.

He said a lot of work was already taking place in creating energy efficient buildings, protecting green open spaces and encouraging biodiversity.

Cllr Bialyk revealed the Council is now working on how it can retrofit its entire housing stock to an ultra-low energy standard. It will also examine how homes in the private sector may also be able to benefit and that he was committed to delivering a net biodiversity gain from all developments.”

He added he welcomed the continued support for communities, highlighting the new Exeter Grants Programme, which has an annual budget of more than £1million – 127 community groups received grants in the last year, and that the new St Sidwell’s Point leisure complex and new Exeter Bus Station, which are set to be delivered on time and on budget in spring 2021.

After the meeting, Cllr Moore added: “After years of Tory cuts to local government and with more to come, essential council services are being cut to the bone. So it is even more vital we focus resources into improving services that are so important to help people in their daily lives, and that includes the environment.

“The residents of Exeter will draw their own conclusions from the fact that the Tories backed Labour’s budget. However, it clearly shows how critical is the need for an effective opposition in Exeter. The Progressive Group are working to make sure more councillors are elected to increase our representation and influence on the council.”