Free parking, more allotments and council tax rises were part of a package of budget measures agreed at a meeting of Knowsley Council tonight.
Council tax will increase for residents across the borough by the maximum 2.99% after councillors agreed a budget which also saw some key investment initiatives.
Last month, councillors revealed Knowsley Council was in the “enviable” position of a budget surplus, although did not give details of how the council intended to spend it, saying the cabinet would “take some time” to consider their options before presenting them at the budget meeting.
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Speaking at that budget meeting tonight, March 9, cabinet member for finance and resources, Cllr Jayne Aston revealed those council spending plans.
Announcing £25m of “additional” investment Cllr Aston said: “We have no cuts, no job losses and we won’t have to reduce services or facilities, in fact we’ll be expanding them.”
With £14.6m of permanent investment already announced as part of the council’s service budgets, Cllr Aston said Knowsley a further £10.4m would be invested in “key areas”.
This includes more than £5m of immediate investment and the creation of a £5m future investment fund.
The immediate investments, Cllr Aston said, would include £1.3m of “permanent investments” including funding to ensure free car parking in the borough’s towns.
More money for street scenes and parks and maintenance, the development of a counselling service for children affected by domestic violence and additional money for the council’s children’s homes were also announced.
Cllr Aston said that £1m would be set aside to employ and train new social workers, £1m for projects to address health inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic and half a million towards Knowsley’s hardship fund, as well as £250k towards grants for community organisations in the borough.
After the budget proposals were announced, the mayor , Cllr Frank Walsh adjourned the meeting “to give time for reading” of the budget proposals which had been “recently provided” just ahead of the meeting to councillors.
Opposition party resolutions, including a Green party plan, specific pots of funding towards pest control, A Level provision, climate change and fixing potholes were then discussed and rejected.
A Liberal Democrat proposal to reduce the council tax rise from 2.99% to 2% was also discussed and then rejected.
Knowsley Council’s cabinet member for finance and resources Cllr Jayne Aston derided the proposal, saying it would leave most residents around 19p a week better off and create a £600,000 budget shortfall.
She said resources would be better spent on “making good use” of the increased council tax revenue.
Councillors held a vote on the original budget, which was passed, setting Knowsley’s budget for the coming year.
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