Residents will pay for the garden waste collection service under new Bexley Council budget plans approved this week.

The council agreed its 2015-16 budget on Wednesday (March 4) with 43 councillors voting in favour of the proposals and 18 against.

The borough needs to save £30m by 2019 and this year’s budget is reduced from £176m last year to £164m.

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How the budget will be used. Figures shown by cabinet portfolios. Percentages are approximate. Education excludes school funding.

Highways and Transport comes under Environment & Public Realm. Culture is part of Community Safety & Leisure. Planning comes under Regeneration and Growth.

 

Deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and corporate services Coun Gareth Bacon said the government’s revenue support grant now provides just 14 per cent of funding.

To boost the budget, the council has increased its share of council tax by 1.9 per cent, from £1,128.59 to £1,150.53 for band D properties.

It follows five years of frozen council tax, and is counteracted by the London Assembly reducing its share of council tax.

News Shopper: Councillor Gareth Bacon

Coun Bacon, deputy council leader & cabinet member for finance

Coun Bacon said the finance committee made "difficult decisions" to balance the books.

He added: "Some of the things we are having to do now are not popular. But we have a moral imperative.

"We are prioritising looking after the vulnerable whilst minimising the cost on our tax payers."

The council will spend 54 per cent of their budget on children and adults' services, up from 50 per cent last year.

Contentious issues at the meeting included a £1 fortnightly charge for garden waste collection, dubbed a 'bin tax' by Labour.

Labour's Thamesmead East councillor Derry Begho said it was a "2.9 per cent hike on band D council tax."

However Conservative councillors said the £33 a year charge was not compulsory, and many Bexley residents do not use the collection service.

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The council will continue to run six core libraries, and will encourage the community to run a further four.

The council has said it cannot promise to save Belvedere splash park.

The council will also sell 27 parks and dip into its reserve fund.

Conservative councillor Cheryl Bacon said: “We know that reserves can only be used once however it’s hoped that we will not need to draw down on the reserve.

“But it’s only right that we have put in place the option to do so.”

All Tory councillors voted for the proposals, with Labour and UKIP uniting to vote against.