Last night, councillors formally approved setting aside £10 million funding for Haverhill town centre projects, as recommended by Cabinet earlier this month. They also agreed a rise of 3.9% in Council Tax.
The £10 million will be used to turn the Haverhill masterplan into reality. As projects come forward there will be money in the pot to implement them and help turn words into action.
St Edmundsbury Borough Council Leader, Cllr John Griffiths, said:
"This is a major step forward and demonstrates this council is fully committed to helping develop Haverhill town centre. St Edmundsbury could not, and should not, do this alone. The idea is to help Haverhill lever in support from all kinds of people to make sure it gets a great deal more than £10 million. This is just a beginning."
The report on Council Tax approved by full council recommended a rise of 3.9%. A Band D Council Tax payer will be paying £156.15 to St Edmundsbury (the largest number of houses in the borough are in the lower Band B - they will be paying £121.45 a year, or £2.34 a week). The overall rise, taking into account figures from Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Police Authority, is 3.1% - below the rate of inflation.
Resources portfolio holder, Cllr Sara Mildmay-White, said:
"This rise is lower than in previous years in line with our promise to improve efficiency and keep any future rises in Council Tax as low as possible. Over the past year we have focused on making more than £2 million of savings and this work will carry on so we can continue to drive down costs."
ENDS
ISSUED BY MARIANNE HULLAND, COMMUNICATIONS UNIT, ST EDMUNDSBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL. Tel 01284 757034. marianne.hulland@stedsbc.gov.uk
