With austerity measures hitting residents hard, Sutton’s Liberal Democrat Council is proposing to freeze Council Tax for the fourth year running, subject to approval by Full Council on 4 March.

The freeze means that Band D taxpayers will have to pay Sutton £1,140.89 for 2013/14 – but a fierce commitment to cutting costs and providing value-for-money means that the authority has been able to keep every library open, retain weekly bin collections  and rebuild Westcroft Leisure Centre as a world-class facility.

From the viewpoint of Richard and Heather, this will mean that since we were elected in 2010 there will have been no increase in Council tax.

Richard says “We are doing this as, while the economy is starting to pick up, things remain tight for our local residents. Note that what you pay at Council tax band D level in Sutton is £1 447.61, including the various precepts by other authorities, less than in Tory Croydon where it is £1 456.83.”

Heather says This shows the council’s determination to do the best for the citizens of Sutton in these difficult times, even though central government has cut our funds by £30 million.”

Work to improve efficiency includes the ongoing Smarter Services Sutton programme which is reviewing every service to ensure that the maximum possible use is made of every pound of taxpayers’ money.

Changes to how the authority collects waste, the introduction of self-service terminals in libraries and even sending out text message reminders to tell residents that Council tax payments are due are all examples of ways in which the council has maintained – and even improved – services while cutting costs.

The proposal to freeze Council tax was discussed at the Strategy and Resources Committee meeting on Monday 11 February and a final decision will be reached at full Council on 4 March. This will freeze Council tax for a fourth successive year and mean that Council tax will remain the same in 2013/14 as it was in 2009/10.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Ruth Dombey, said: “We are very aware that prices are rising faster than incomes and residents are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

“So we looked closely at how we can cut costs and work more efficiently and still provide the excellent services residents expect without raising Council Tax. And I’m pleased to say we have managed that for the fourth consecutive year.

“In fact we would have liked to have cut bills, but most of Sutton’s budget comes from the Government and by 2013/14 our annual grant funding from government will have been reduced by nearly £22million since 2010/11.”