These ideas are being put to the council's cabinet today (Monday, December 1) when members will consider how to limit next year's council tax increase to four per cent.

Councillors will be told the budget's likely shortfall will be about £860,000, and the sum necessary to balance the budget over the next three years is about £2,226,000 – an amount dependent on the depth and length of the current recession.

Cabinet members will decide on a list of proposed savings.

Lower priority

The "lower priority" ones include closing public toilets at the northern section of George V Avenue – to save £12,000 a year – and those at Durrington's Pond Lane recreation ground (£9,000).

In both cases, the agenda items state the toilet sites could be sold for redevelopment.

But this idea would be particularly contentious in the case of Pond Lane.

Tea and cake

Another saving could be that sandwiches and cakes would no longer be served to councillors at committee meetings.

This would save £1,500 a year.

Paul Yallop, cabinet member for resources,said: "We will be trying to keep the council tax increase as low as we possibly can, but there are some challenging increases in costs to meet this year."

The report to cabinet members says that when the final budget is presented after Christmas, the council may be able to consider whether it wished to "invest in services to support the local community and economy in light of the emerging recession".

Harder line

When Mr Yallop was asked if the council would be following Gordon Brown's "spend, spend, spend" example, he replied: "No. We have much deprivation in certain wards in the town and we are looking at what we can do to help people in these situations".

Mr Yallop said most of the money saved this year had come through joint working with Adur District Council. "We have had a lower salary bill as a result of that," he said.

Other savings had been achieved by a "harder line" being taken with bus operators of the concessionary fares scheme.

Mr Yallop said the council had been paying a net 56 per cent of the scheme costs, but this had now been reduced to 48 per cent.

At the same time, however, use of the scheme is expected to increase by eight per cent, and the overall impact of all these changes will mean a net cost to the council of £1,668,000 for 2009/10.

Cash saving

In another possible cost-saving measure, cash-conscious Worthing Council may buy out the lease of the mayor's Skoda Superb car – and purchase the vehicle outright for about £4,500.

Council cabinet members will consider the option when discussing savings for the 2009/10 budget, and members are being told that it would mean an annual saving of £2,700.

Resources cabinet member Paul Yallop told the Herald the luxury Skoda was now three years old and the present lease runs out at the end of this month.

What do you think?

What savings would you suggest the council makes to keep tax bills low?

Share your views, comment below, email the Herald or write in to Readers' Letters, Worthing Herald series, Cannon House, Chatsworth Road, Worthing, BN11 1NA.


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