Borough Life Autum 2006: So what do you get for YOUR COUNCIL TAX?
Can somebody please tell me what we pay our council tax for?” demanded the letter in the local paper.
The appeal, in response to a rare missed bin collection, is understandable, since surveys show that many people struggle when asked to name more than a couple of services that their council provides.
So Borough Life set out to discover where the money paid by a typical local household actually goes. As almost half of all 134,000 homes in our borough are classed in Band A – the lowest category – we have based the figures on this.
This year the bill for a Band A property, which is typically a terraced house, is £821. People living in larger homes pay more, but the relative amount spent on different services is the same.
Chief executive Joyce Redfearn says: “No-one likes paying bills, and council tax is no exception. But when we explain the wide range of services that it does pay for, they often see it in a different light.
“Not everyone has children, needs social services yet, or uses a library. But taken together we hope people do understand that there’s more to their council tax than a wheelie bin.”
So – apart from emptying 134,000 bins every week – here’s a flavour of what you get for about the price of a pint a day.
- Home helps and other care services to the borough’s most vulnerable older and disabled people.
- Promoting the economic wellbeing of local communities.
- Emergency services from the police and fire brigade.
- Buses and trains across Greater Manchester's biggest borough.
- Schools, teachers and the education of thousands of children.
- Improvements to the quality of council and private housing .
- Leisure and sports facilities, including parks, libraries, swimming pools and play areas.
- Support for elections and democracy.
- Engaging with local communities through 10 township forums and 75 elected councillors.
- Employing over 11,000 people including teachers, most from the borough.
- Advice on benefits.
- Protection for businesses and customers through licensing and trading standards.
- Street sweeping, grass cutting and road and pavement maintenance.
- Looking after our countryside and
- open spaces.
- Street lights.
As Joyce Redfearn adds: “We do as much as we possibly can do to make Wigan borough the kind of place where people want to live. We must never forget that it’s public money we’re spending and like any household we have to have priorities. But overall I hope people will feel that the council tax is good value for money even if they don’t personally use all the services we provide.”
