There was a very good response to consultation about the Council’s budget and Council Tax proposals. The biggest numbers of responses were about proposals to withdraw some bus service subsidies, grants to parish councils and public-protection services. Many people also said that the upkeep and appearance of streets and green areas should be improved.

Changes that were made to the budgets for front-line services as a result of consultation were: -

The proposal to withdraw £132,000 subsidy on two bus services was amended. The Council will instead work in consultation with the bus companies and local community representatives to reduce costs whilst ensuring that bus services continue to be available to the villages affected in the North-East of the Borough.
Trading Standards’ Civil Advice service – to be retained with a reduction of one post
Pest Control Service – to be retained
Environmental Health – to be reduced by one post instead of the two previously proposed
Ring-a-Ride service to be retained with consultation on options to reduce costs
Parish Council grants to be retained and the way they are distributed to be reviewed
Community environmental works - a budget of £400,000 was added to the Council’s capital spending plans.

Not everyone who responded agreed, for example some people said we should spend more on education, leisure and recycling, and other people said we should spend less on them.

There were some recurring themes and some interesting questions and comments. Here are some of your questions and our replies.

Council Tax increases should be limited to inflation This year, most councils had to increase Council Tax by more than inflation. More and more residents are using the essential services that councils provide. In Darlington the cost of social care for adults has increased by £1.5m because of increased demand. Many councils have reduced levels of care to cut costs but we have decided to maintain higher levels of care.

Council Tax should be reduced by cutting out spending on non-essential services
Most of the Council’s spending is on services that have to be provided, such as education, social care, highways and waste collection. The Council could reduce spending by cutting other services, such as leisure, arts and cultural services.

However, the Council believes these services make a vital contribution to the quality of life in the Borough. This makes Darlington a more attractive place for investment by companies that provide prosperity and jobs, as well as helping to improve the health of the people of Darlington.

Why do I have to pay Council Tax for services that I do not use?
Like all other taxes, Council Tax is not a charge for those services that individual taxpayers use. Services that councils provide are for the good of society as a whole. Some people use services, while others benefit indirectly from them. For example, we all benefit from education provided in schools, even though we may not have school-age children of our own. Often, we may not be aware of Council-provided services that we benefit from such as:

Roads and pavements
Treatment and disposal of the waste collected from our homes
Public protection services such as CCTV, Wardens, Environmental Health, Licensing and Trading Standards that help to keep us safer and healthier
Regulation services such as Planning and Building Control
Economic development and regeneration, helping to increase the prosperity of the Borough.

The Council should concentrate on becoming more efficient A Government agency called the Audit Commission independently assesses councils’ performance, including how well they provide value-for-money. Darlington has recently achieved the highest possible score, but we know it is always possible to improve. Our plans for 2008-2011 include saving £3.8m per year by becoming even more efficient. Those savings do not involve reducing services or increasing charges.

The Council should enforce rules such as littering and dog-fouling Environmental Wardens patrol the Borough and enforce the issue of littering, dog fouling, graffiti etc. Last year over 200 fixed penalty notices were issued in respect of these ‘environmental crimes’.

The Council should do more to increase recycling The Council have recently procured a contract for all recycling and waste disposal from April 2009 onwards. This contract will ensure we double our recycling rate in the next 3 years.

Council Tax increases should be limited to inflation	This year, most councils had to increase Council Tax by more than inflation. More and more residents are using the essential services that councils provide. In Darlington the cost of social care for adults has increased by £1.5m because of increased demand. Many councils have reduced levels of care to cut costs but we have decided to maintain higher levels of care.
Council Tax should be reduced by cutting out spending on non-essential services	Most of the Council’s spending is on services that have to be provided, such as education, social care, highways and waste collection. The Council could reduce spending by cutting other services, such as leisure, arts and cultural services. However, the Council believes these services make a vital contribution to the quality of life in the Borough. This makes Darlington a more attractive place for investment by companies that provide prosperity and jobs, as well as helping to improve the health of the people of Darlington.
Why do I have to pay Council Tax for services that I do not use?	Like all other taxes, Council Tax is not a charge for those services that individual taxpayers use. Services that councils provide are for the good of society as a whole. Some people use services, while others benefit indirectly from them. For example, we all benefit from education provided in schools, even though we may not have school-age children of our own. Often, we may not be aware of Council-provided services that we benefit from such as: Roads and pavements Treatment and disposal of the waste collected from our homes Public protection services such as CCTV, Wardens, Environmental Health, Licensing and Trading Standards that help to keep us safer and healthier Regulation services such as Planning and Building Control Economic development and regeneration, helping to increase the prosperity of the Borough.
The Council should concentrate on becoming more efficient	A Government agency called the Audit Commission independently assesses councils’ performance, including how well they provide value-for-money. Darlington has recently achieved the highest possible score, but we know it is always possible to improve. Our plans for 2008-2011 include saving £3.8m per year by becoming even more efficient. Those savings do not involve reducing services or increasing charges.
The Council should enforce rules such as littering and dog-fouling	Environmental Wardens patrol the Borough and enforce the issue of littering, dog fouling, graffiti etc. Last year over 200 fixed penalty notices were issued in respect of these ‘environmental crimes’.
The Council should do more to increase recycling	The Council have recently procured a contract for all recycling and waste disposal from April 2009 onwards. This contract will ensure we double our recycling rate in the next 3 years.