St Helier proposes 2.3% rate increase
Tuesday 7th July 2009, 2:59PM BST.
St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft
ST HELIER ratepayers will be asked to approve a 2.3% increase in the rate bill tomorrow night – and to set up a £200,000 contingency fund in case the parish faces emergency spending pressures in the next 12 months.
A good turnout is expected for the annual rates assembly, with St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft planning on a 2.3% rise in the domestic rate and a 0.4% rise in the commercial rate, set against the most recent RPI figure of 2.1%. Under the plans, the parish would spend £7.5m next year.
‘The main reason for the domestic rate increase is our belief that we should put something to one side for a “parish rainy day fund”, with possible problems coming from the recession or swine flu,’ said Mr Crowcroft.
The rates assembly allows parishioners to propose alternative increases in the parish rate, but the amount agreed cannot leave the parish in deficit.
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Pick up my glass every week and i’ll think about it!!!!!!
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hope they vote no.these people are always looking for ways to increase taxes and rates for no good reasons.last time he wanted to build a fountain in the middle of a very busy junction.has he lost the plot altogether?or doe,st he know we are in a recession?
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It’s about time they got rid of these “stealth” taxes and why does the tax rate differ from parish to parish anyway (aside from the obvious running costs)???
Perhaps the parishes should get their budgets from the island wide income and GST taxes instead and each parish given a proportion according to the percentage of population living there.
Also, why is domestic tax proposed to rise at 2.3% whereas commercial will only be 0.4%….disgusting.
This is NOT the right time to be increasing taxes for “rainy day” funding when so many people are already struggling.
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Seems reasonable, wages are frozen or cut for those lucky enough to still have a job and the rates are going up!
I’m pleased I don’t live in town, I get glass collected and have a parish constable who is approachable if I have an issue.
Are we sure this isn’t to pay for the manual workers £1000 pay increase?
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Nathan wants the kerbside glass collection brought back instead of the bring bank system. Current recyling plans are to collect plastic/paper and metal/cardboard on alternate weeks, with separate cardboard collections from businesses; to provide a number of well managed bring sites around the town for people with no space for recyling containers; and to maintain the weekly collections of non recyclable waste (not moving to fortnightly ones as happens in many UK authorities) – we are proposing to do all this within the current refuse collection budget, apart from the small cost of providing recycling sacks to each parishioner. But the recycling plan needs first to be approved by the union then by a Parish assembly.
Bella is incensed that I would like to see a fountain on the Queen’s Road roundabout – at present that is just an idea, an inspired idea some would say, but if it happens it will be put to a Parish Assembly for approval out of our building reserve fund.
BS Deluxe asks three good questions about the difference between the parish rates, all of which will be answered at the Rates Assembly on Weds evening at 7.30 in the Town Hall. It’s the ratepayers who set the rate, after all, and they won’t approve the small increase recommended by the Accounts Committee unless they’re satisfied with the explanations they get to questions like these.
Incidentally the accounts and estimates are online at sthelier.je
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Waste collections once a week is not good enough and and a hazard to health. Euro bins all over town are bursting over within one day of being empty leaving easy access to rats and gulls. Another point the streets of St. Helier are filthy
and the litter a disgrace. Take a walk down bath street near blockbusters up to royal hotel cant see the road or pavement for litter. What happened to the evening street cleaners or day ones come to think of it!Streets used to be spotless ,not now was ready to take pics to send to the people concerned. Take a walk also down the road past the town church opposite chambers pub and the pavement is black and in dire need of a power wash. Your feet actually stick to the floor! Clean up the town and yes maybe i will pay the 2% plus raise!
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Thank you Mr Crowcroft – it’s heartening to see a Connetable taking the time to respond thoughtfully to parishioners’ concerns.
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Simon i,m not incenced,just a stupid place to put a fountain.it would cause many accidents with a distraction for drivers.maybe you wil feel inspired enough to get the town park under way that we were promised over a decade ago and you could put your fountain there instead.
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bella: are you really saying a fountain would distract you? Do you get distracted by the steam clock? Do you get distracted by the new ford fiesta’s on the avenue? These two you see driving at 30-40mph. Roundabout 10mph maximum! Health and Safety gone mad!!!!
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(9) hav,nt you got your own user name?nothing to do with health and safety just a silly place to put a fountain and a waste of tax payers money.
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Like all areas of Goverment St helier does not seem to realise there is a down turn. Those people who pay the rates have not had a pay increase by in large so why can they not manage on the same rate as last year and do their bit to help?
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sean, I agree the litter in town is a disgrace, but whose fault is that? In some districts in the UK the bins are not collected for 2 weeks!
Personally, I beleive there should be a no tolerance approach to people littering the streets with hefty fines.
There is a grwoing underclass in this island that does not care for themselves or the people in their community.
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Considering Parish Rates are a pittance compared to the UK’s Council Tax, we should be grateful (OK, UK C.T. includes things like policing and education)
At least in Jersey, one can buy ones own Bin, rather than being provided with one by the council that is fitted with a micro chip ! Also in the UK, you get fined if your bin is over full, put out on the wrong day etc etc.
St Helier is a densley populated parish and a lot of people live in cramped accomodation.
Simon, while I would not necessarily agree on some of proposals for parking and traffic management in town, you generally do a very good job at running the parish, keeping costs under control, and keeping the parish clean in most areas, and for that I have to give you 9 1/2 out of 10.
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I would like to re iterrate Spring Heeled Jack point – thank you Simon for responding to some of the issues here – it’s good to know that (some) Constables take time in reading the public’s views, and replying to them.
For the record, I didn’t attend the meeting, as I could not; I would have responded with a no increase vote; I’m not getting one this year and have to survive on that, so why can’t my parish?
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