Warning of huge council tax rise

From the Echo, first published Monday 20th Oct 2003.

A CIVIC leader has warned that council tax in Bournemouth could rise by nearly 25 per cent next year unless spending cuts are imposed.

Cllr Adrian Fudge, member for quality services and value for money, told a public meeting the rise had been forecast as 16.5 per cent before the last council election, which took place in May.

After the election, when the Liberal Democrats won control of the council from the Conservatives, the figure was revised to 20 per cent.

"The latest forecast a week ago is that it could be up to 24 per cent," he told the annual general meeting of Westbourne and West Cliff Area Forum.

Cllr Fudge added that the council had instructed officers to report back on the effects of spending cuts.

But out of five options for the future of the BIC, only one - closing the swimming pool to expand the exhibition space - had been projected to have no impact on council tax.

Cllr Fudge revealed that he believed the BIC would still need £8.7 million spent on its refurbishment within the next four to five years - and that he would "love" to privatise it.

"If we could get somebody to take over the BIC with the right terms and conditions, I would have no qualms at all. If privatisation was a feasible proposition, I would go for it," he said.

After the meeting, Cllr John Beesley, who performed an equivalent role to Cllr Fudge's in the Conservative administration, said: "It's unbelievable to use a meeting like that to slate this rise. It's almost irresponsible to bandy around figures like this and doesn't get the right message across to the people of Bournemouth. The Government settlement won't be known until late November and everything depends on that.

"The figure of 16.5 per cent came out of a report which explained what was known at the time and what would be the worst case scenario. We would have been very disappointed if we hadn't got it down to single figures."

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