Nantwich Town councillors were locked in a bitter row last night which ended with a vote to increase their Council Tax precept for 2025-26 by 7%.
One councillor accused his own authority of “being asleep at the wheel” and said an increase above inflation was unacceptable for the town’s residents.
But others hit back, saying the increase was needed to ensure the council had enough reserves and to pay for urgent work such as repairs to the market hall roof.
A four-week public consultation on plans to raise the town council’s council tax by 8% only resulted in eight residents writing in. All eight objected to the rise.
Cllr Loic Charbonneau said: “We should be able to make the budget balance out and be respectful to residents.
“To say it’s only a few pennies or pounds extra per month is deceitful. People are seeing dozens of their bills rising – so as a town council are we going to be part of that problem?
“Are we sufficiently proactive in reducing our costs? It’s costing us £39,000 a year to clean our toilets! It feels like we are asleep at the wheel.
“Increasing our precept above inflation is 100% wrong.”
He also called for a “vote of no confidence” on the chair of the town council’s finance committee.
But finance chair Cllr Arthur Moran hit back: “We held numerous budget workshops which every councillor was invited to, and we went through the finances line by line.
“We agreed to go out to consultation on 8% and then come back. We also have to pay for elections now, a decision by Cheshire East.”
Cllr Moran proposed a 7% rise in the precept, which was seconded by Cllr Anna Burton.
But Cllr Geoff Smith said: “There was no leadership from the chair, no vision for how we can reduce the budget, a lack of ideas to find savings.”
He added that the market hall roof had been leaking for years and should have been sorted years ago.
“I’ve met with stallholders and they tell me it’s been going on for seven or eight years! They are putting buckets out. It’s a fundamental health and safety issue,” he added.
But Cllr Caroline Kirkham labelled the accusation of having no ideas as “disrespectful”.
She added: “We are all responsible as a committee and it comes to full council for approval.
“We brought ideas to the table, and I find that comment disrespectful and insulting.”
Cllr Charbonneau replied: “Leadership is about finding a solution. I absolutely believe the residents of Nantwich deserve better and in a normal year we should be able to close budget within inflation.”
Cllr Riddell Graham said: “I find the personal attacks on the chair unnecessary.
“We gave councillors a chance to put forward ideas which were carefully considered. We’ve got a lot to put right such as the market roof and we are dealing with it.”
Nine councillors voted in favour of a 7% rise, three voted against.
The rise will increase the annual precept for a Band D property in the Nantwich Town Council boundary by £10.53.
The Government have announced in the last view days their intention to reduce waste in the public sector. A good starting point would be Nantwich Town Council and Cheshire East Council. I hope all the representatives are taking note.
If you were transfer the savings that could be made over the Country it would be millions of pounds.
So lets hope the Town Council review their budget and determine what sensible savings could be made.
So will you be standing for Council, next time seats are up for election?
Does this mean the mill fields estate where Mr Moran lives will finally get tidied up I doubt it
Interesting some of the comments, so here goes CE have consistently failed to manage the P&L annd delivery of services. They are incompetent and Labour proposals to give more control to LAs is laudable but when it comes to CE it’s laughable. To drive economies of scale and leverage size East and West need to come together.,of course “politics “ will come into play but is doing the right thing and for the smart comments above I like others would happily be involved with any transformation and yep on a voluntary basis
Good afternoon JD.
Absolutely agree.
Merge East and west ,, get rid of duplication and inefficiency, try and poach Andy Burham who is transforming and far more complicated region than Cheshire and there will be a significant positive change on Cheshire
A load of bleating commentators on here who would never get off the sofa and do something themselves.
Mr Hughes Spot on…
Where is the scrutiny of their inept decisions.
Tipical….. NTC have no problem solving skills or foresight to reduce costs …
39 k to clean toilets?
Pay out to have consultants in to advise them then reject there proposals.
Pay out 15k for weed machine which cost to much to run and does not work …..
This is our money being wasted.
Absolutely disgraceful., it’s time there was a full review of bands, and or paying for what the residents use for example in remote areas have far less services than those living closer to towns . I live in an area where we enjoy street lighting and refuge collection, that is it.
NANTWICH CITIZENS (THE CASH COWS FOR THE TOWN COUNCIL YET AGAIN)
The problem rests with a number of councillors who should be barred from holding public office. They fail to deliver residents value for money. They fail to complete a detailed business analysis before they go off on a pet project to spend tax payers money. They certainly would not survive in the private sector. It is not that long ago when the Town Council Precept increased by 42%., Tax Year 2021/2022.
Just go back in time a examine how the Town Council Precept has risen way above the rate of inflation.
This so called Government want to get a grip on the funds wasted both by Cheshire East and Nantwich Town Council.
The Town Council is be used by Cheshire East Council to cross subsidise
expenditure which was normally funded by Cheshire East.
Local Government need a total restructure with Cheshire having one Unitary Council with an elected Mayor at its head. With the power to dismiss Directors, Executives and Officers who fail to deliver.
This is how the private sector works.
I hope the Citizens of Nantwich take a keen interest and express their views and concerns.
I know that my pension will not increase in Line with the increase in the Town Council’s Precept. In fact no ones pension will.
That will be a sum of £12.87 for Band E Properties.
I have to ask how many extra properties have been brought into the Town Council Boundaries with changes to the boundaries and the increase income they have benefitted from.
I do support those Councillors who voted against this increase.