Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Making a splash – but not a rate rise
COUNCILLORS FREEZE COUNCIL TAX IN HILLINGDON FOR TENTH YEAR
HILLINGDON Council announced a council tax freeze for the tenth consecutive year while promising increased spending commitments.
Part of the spending package includes building a new swimming pool in Yiewsley and a waste and recycling centre in the south of the borough.
In addition to future spending promises, Hillingdon Council has vowed to keep all current obligations, including weekly rubbish collections, free allotments, free swimming sessions and the £1 million-per-year Chrysalis programme to maintain council facili- ties. The commitments were made during a Hillingdon Council meeting on December 14 by council leader Ray Puddifoot.
The leader made it clear that the council would not be issuing the social care precept which lets it levy council tax by as much as 5% to raise funding.
Councillor Puddifoot also offered to buy Uxbridge Police Station, which closed its front desk on December 14, and to lease it back to Metropolitan Police. The building could be bought for £4.5 million and the council offered to pay the £250,000-per-year running costs for the first five years.
Mitigation money from HS2 will be used to relocate the Hillingdon Outdoor Activities Centre to a dif- ferent site after plans to build a viaduct through the current boating lake were given the nod.
A £200,000 pot has been made available to independent youth groups, after council-run centres have declined in popularity among young people.
The council will stop building new youth centres but will continue to run current services, while helping to establish others in the borough. A further £200,000 has been set aside for legal challenges to Heathrow runway expansion.
Other spending commitments mentioned by Cllr Puddifoot include maintenance of libraries, £500,000 over two years to build and refurbish bowls clubs, and £750,000 a year on leisure facilities upgrades.
Meanwhile playground replacement, highways and pavement improvement and schools expan- sion were all highlighted as areas the council will continue to fund in 2018/19.