Green waste service charge to be scrapped as Trafford Council reveals its budget for the next financial year.

Trafford Council has revealed its budget for the next financial year which includes scrapping the garden waste service charge and a pledge to spend an extra £6 million improving roads in the borough.

The Council has had to close a budget gap of £13.44m, which it has done through savings, additional funding and extra income generation. As a result, there will be no cuts to front line services or the loss of jobs.

The budget proposals for 2019/20 will be discussed at a full meeting of the Council next Wednesday and see a planned revenue expenditure of £169.94m to support its strategic priorities. These include improving the health and wellbeing of residents.

It also includes allocating £5.7m more for demand-led services for children and adults and spending £6.24m on highway maintenance.  The budget also includes £47m of investment in leisure centres over the next three years.

The budget proposes a general increase of the Council Tax by 2.99%, alongside a 1% increase for the adult social care precept, still the lowest in Greater Manchester.

The budget outlines capital expenditure plans for 2019/20 include:-

• Investment in school buildings of £21.6m
• Targeted support to some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents £3.6m
• Outdoor sports and improvements to green spaces £1.3m
• Expansion of a full fibre IT connectivity across the borough £0.7m
• Town centre and business loans £350k.
• Cllr Andrew Western, leader of the Council, said: “We are operating in very challenging financial circumstances but we are committed to improving the quality of our services and to meeting the changing needs of our residents and businesses.

“By scrapping the green waste charge we have listened to what residents have been saying to us as we were the only council in Greater Manchester to charge for this service.

“It’s vitally important that we protect vulnerable people while also making Trafford a better place, where everyone has a chance to succeed and has a voice so I am delighted that we have produced a budget that protects our front line services.

“Despite the proposed increase, our council tax will remain one of the lowest in the North West. The budget also takes into the account the financial pressures we will face in the next few years and that’s why we are creating additional reserves of £4.5m.

“Our vision is about working together to build the best future for all our communities and everyone in Trafford and this budget will enable us to do that.”