A last minute bid to reduce the council tax rise in Bracknell was launched at a crucial budget meeting last night.

In a virtual full council meeting on Wednesday, February 23, Labour opposition members attempted to reduce the council tax rise for taxpayers in Bracknell Forest.

The budget policies from the Conservative administration were introduced by councillor Peter Heydon (Conservative, Old Bracknell), the executive member for transformation and finance.

The policies included £89.355 million revenue budget, which is used to pay for the day to day running of the council, and the £16m capital budget proposals.

READ MORE: Play area upgrades and making Bracknell Forest safer - council's £16m capital budget put forward

Cllr Heydon also mentioned a committed budget of £400,000 for the Blue Mountain Health and Community Hub in Binfield, with a further £1m requested from ‘external funding.’

Controversially, a 4.49 per cent council tax was proposed – which councillor Mary Temperton (Labour, Great Hollands North), the leader of the opposition – sought to reduce. 

She poked holes in the budget during her speech, raising questions about parts of the budget that would be reliant on grants from the Government which the council would have to bid for.

But a key plea from her was for £100,000 to be reserved to find car parking spaces for residents.

Cllr Temperton said: “£300K in the Capital Budget and £25k in the Revenue budget have now been added for ‘Borough Greening’- to improve the maintenance of the Borough and making some areas less scruffy.

“For Councillors who represent wards with few drives and houses built around squares- this screams out as purpose-built parking areas.

“We had Verges- now trenches of mud. Gone are the days when each family had one car. Multiple occupancy properties often have more than  five.

“I’m  not the only Councillor that mentions ‘parking’ as their residents’ main concern.

“Being able to find a place near their home without having to worry about losing this spot should they ever dare to go out.

“These parking problems and is the major concern for many, many residents.

We therefore propose that an extra £100K be allocated to find solutions., to provide some of these bays and improve the verges    so that there can be parking but without the destruction.

“Where there is a will, there is a way. Estates in other towns do not look like ours.”

READ MORE: How much council tax Bracknell Forest Council wants to charge you this year

Cllr Temperton proposed four amendments to the budget:

  • Reducing the council tax rise by one per cent to 3.49 per cent
  • Contribute £1.560m from revenue balance savings to support revenue spending
  • Set the council tax requirement – the amount of the budget funded by council tax at £70.065m  rather than the £70.742m the Conservatives had proposed – a reduction of £677,000.
  • Agree a one of spend of £100,000 to make parking improvements in estates

However, cllr Heydon called the amendments a ‘knee jerk’ response to the budget.

Fellow cllr Dale Birch (Conservative,  Little Sandhurst and Wellington) pointed out the budget had been subject to a weeks long consultation.

The amendment was rejected by 32 votes to four, with cllr Isabel Mattick (Conservative, Harmans Water) who’s connection dropped out.

The Conservative administration’s budget proposals were passed by 32 votes, with the four Labour councillors abstaining, and cllr Moira Gaw (Conservative, Winkfield & Cranbourne) unable to vote due to a power outage.