Lancaster council tax rise expected but calls for more festival budget details

The Band D tax will rise from £256.63 to £264.30, if formally agreed by councillors later this month.

Car park charges for most city council-owned sites and Salt Ayre leisure centre admission fees are expected to be frozen, councillors have been told.

Some charges at Happy Mount Park or Williamson Park may rise.

At the full council, Green Coun Tim Hamilton-Cox, the cabinet finance member, said provisional government funding for the next 12 months was around what was expected. But the council’s forecasting was cautious, which was ‘just as well’.

He said: “Business rates have been above what was originally expected in recent years. That helps significantly in balancing the budget and closes the funding gap without using our reserves.”

However, the city council still faces future funding gaps of millions of pounds between income and expenditure in coming years, according to its forecasts.

Forthcoming capital plans include buying new bin lorries and £5m to install the Burrow Beck solar farm near Lancaster University.

Another idea is to transfer heat from a IT data centre to help warm Salt Ayre.

Labour’s Catherine Potter asked for details on grants for community groups and events as soon as possible, so they could make plans.

She said: “Morecambe’s Vintage festival or Baylight usually don’t know until May or June if they getting any funding. Can organisations be informed as early as possible. This is something I tried to do when I was on the cabinet.”

Green Coun Caroline Jackson, the council leader, said: “We need the 2.99 per cent rise for services. That means we are not providing a big list of cuts and economies.

"The budget reflects where we have saved money or made money and looked at opportunities. In the past, costs associated with homelessness were looking serious. But we have taken action and reduced risks.

“We’ve also tried commercial projects and are probably in the middle regarding councils’ commercial activities. Some councils have done well, some badly. To be in the middle is probably good.”