Budget Fixing Council

Councillor Richard Farnell, leader of Rochdale Borough Council

Councillors voted to approve the budget put forward by the Labour group at Wednesday night's Budget Fixing Council.

Leader of the Council, Richard Farnell, said: “Yet again it’s been a tough budget. It’s been tough for the council and for the people of Rochdale. We’ve had to cut millions out of the budget because of Tory austerity cuts, which has resulted in poorer services that we need and a council tax we can’t afford, a Tory council tax.

"My challenge to local Conservatives and Lib Dems is to join with Labour to demand a fair deal from the government for the residents of Rochdale."

Main points

A council tax discount of 100% for foster carers and care leavers for those who live in the borough, who are recruited on or after 1 April 2017 and are looking after adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age.

£2million into repairing the Borough’s potholes - an extra £1 million.

Scrapping a fee charged by GPs for a letter for victims of domestic abuse to access legal aid.

Call for the Secretary of State for Education to scrap the new National Funding Formula for schools, which would result in a loss of over £7 million to secondary schools in the Borough and £8 million to primary schools.

Scrapping the £50 charge for a new general waste bin (from 1 April).

The general balances for 2017/18 has been set at £12 million with any savings at the end of financial year allocated to the Equalisation Reserve.

A projected £1.138 million is forecast to be saved for 2016/17 (£1.1343 million subject to approval of Budget Pressure Funding).

The net funding requirement for 2017/18 is £196.031 million.

Revaluation of businesses to take place from 1 April, expected to reduce by 1.4% across Rochdale.

Council to receive £1.299 million more in government funding following the Final Settlement than currently assumed in the budget. Majority relates to £1.113 million from the Adult Social Care Support grant.

A 3% Adult Social Care Precept on Council Tax for the next two years.

Cuts of £16 million this year, and a further £14 million next year.

Airport dividend fund to go to Rochdale Youth Fund.

Recruiting local residents to council ‘grade three’ jobs in Rochdale through a new scheme.