Crewe taxpayers face extra charges (From Crewe Guardian)
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Crewe taxpayers face extra charges
4:43pm Wednesday 25th January 2012 in News By David Morgan
CREWE taxpayers will be faced with an extra charge for their council services from April 2013.
Cheshire East Council has announced its plan to levy a ‘special expense’ on the town for services which are usually covered by a town or parish council.
At present, the authority’s borough councillors are the only democratically-elected members who represent the views of Crewe people This also means that Crewe residents currently benefit from cheaper Council Tax rates.
Clr Michael Jones, cabinet member for resources, said: “This council is committed to continuing to provide great value for money to the people of Cheshire East and I believe that everyone should pay a fair amount for the services they receive, including residents of Crewe and Macclesfield.
“Crewe and Macclesfield are the only unparished areas in the whole of Cheshire East and in view of this the Council, as the lead authority, will be levying a special expense on these towns from April of next year.
“These charges will cover those services which are being carried out by parish and town councils in other areas that are parished.
“It would be more desirable for these communities to have their own town councils in place so they can have representatives, appointed directly via the ballot box, to take responsibility for their local services and assets and help shape their future use more effectively.
“There is near universal understanding that parish and town councils can provide services best suited to their local communities to give optimum impact on the local environment.”
The plans were unveiled as Cheshire East announced its Council Tax freeze for 2012.
The authority’s cabinet agreed that the tax freeze could be facilitated with a grant of £4.5million from the Government.
A council spokesman added: “The decision comes despite the continued reductions in government grants, increasing cost pressures and potential changes to the council’s funding arrangements.”
