Horsham Lib Dems demand more Council Tax relief and action on crime and anti-social behaviour from Conservatives in HDC Budget 2023/24

The Horsham Lib Dem Group on Horsham District Council will be proposing an amendment to HDC’s 2023/24 budget, to be discussed at the Full Council meeting tonight, Wednesday, 22 February.

Our proposal reallocates the Government’s Funding Guarantee for 2023/24 as follows;

• £1.15m to help support residents in need through the cost of living
  • This is an increase of £150k on the current Conservative proposal or £1 million.
  • The additional £150k will allow the Council to increase the discretionary council tax relief amount of £150 to £195.
  • As a result, all working age claimants in receipt of Council Tax Support up to Band C would have their Council Tax bill reduced to zero.
  • For claimants in Band D property, their Council Tax bill is reduced to £25.
  • Claimants in Band E and above would still have their bill reduced by £195 rather than £150.
• £50,000 for 2 years, to fund a new Community Safety Officer

The above reallocations would be funded by a reduction of £250k in earmarked funding for future food waste collection implementation, from £1.6m to £1.35m.

This amendment retains proposed funding of:

• £50,000 for painting the street furniture in Horsham town centre in time for the Coronation on 6 May 2023; and
• £300k for a new path around Horsham Park in the capital programme

The 2 year fixed term Community Safety Officer is to increase the Community Safety Team’s capacity to work with other agencies to divert at-risk younger teenagers from getting involved with groups engaging in criminal behaviour. Investing now will reap benefits as fewer of the at-risk 12, 13, 14-year-olds, a group which has been particularly affected by impacts of the pandemic, will become the 15,16,17-year-olds causing the more serious violence of the future.

Lib Dem Group Leader, Cllr Martin Boffey (Trafalgar) said:

“We want to keep this budget balanced, while at the same time increase the support available for our residents who are entitled to Council Tax Relief.

The Conservatives’ current budget proposal earmarks £1.6 million of Government funding for a potential food waste collection service. However, this service has not been fully costed or agreed, and is not proposed in this budget to begin next year.

Therefore, we propose reallocating £250k of this reserve to fund solutions for more immediate problems, most notably the impacts of cost of living on our community but also the feared rise in recent crime and antisocial behaviour.

We would increase the cap on the Council Tax Relief discretionary fund from £150 to £195 per eligible household, eliminating Council tax bills for an additional 70% of eligible households.

We would also fund an additional Community Safety Officer, to join Horsham District’s Communities team, and work to prevent youth crime and antisocial behaviour, the rise of which is currently weighing on the minds of our residents.

These proposals have been fully costed and we have briefed Conservative colleagues in advance of Council with the hope of gaining cross-party support for our amendments.”