We pay £1m council tax for nothing, say villagers
ANGrY villagers have blasted a council for trying to ditch their hall and library in a bid to save £10,000 – despite raking in almost £1million from locals.
People in the Ayrshire village of Fairlie are up in arms after the local authority proposed relinquishing its lease on the two community venues.
if agreed, North Ayrshire Council’s decision would leave volunteers with the task of finding £10,000 a year to keep them open.
Local politicians have raged against the proposal, citing the size of the annual fee compared to ‘the jackpot’ the local authority makes from villagers’ council tax.
referring to an investigation by The Largs and millport News that found £947,613 of council tax will be paid by properties in Fairlie this year, one councillor said locals were getting ‘jack all’ in return.
Community councillor David Telford told the local newspaper: ‘it would be interesting to see what Fairlie gets for its £1million.
‘i don’t think we get very much back for our money and £10,000 a year to keep a village hall and a library open is certainly not too much to ask for.
‘Our money is spent on vanity projects in irvine like the Portal, which replaced the magnum. The council were desperate to get all the new houses built in Fairlie so they could bring i n more council tax.
‘it is a £1million Fairlie jackpot for the council – and Fairlie is getting jack all.
‘The only community benefit was funding which went to Kelburne Castle. it’s terrible that they are considering closing the library and village hall. it is the same points made when they last threatened to close down the library in 1997.
‘We have senior executives at the council taking home salaries bigger than the Prime minister’s. One of these would pay for every village hall in North Ayrshire.’
Councillor Tom marshall said: ‘We need to save these facilities in Fairlie, especially when you have another 30 houses being built. Facilities such as these, particularly in Fairlie, are the only buildings the council provides other than the school.
‘They provide no other service apart from street lighting, roads and bins.’
Cunnignhame North Nationalist mSP Kenneth Gibson said: ‘The council tried to “rationalise” the number of community halls it supports almost a decade ago and there was little public appetite for such proposals then.
‘Fairlie village hall and library is covered by the council tax of only a few of the homes, so it is astonishing that the council wishes to withdraw support.
‘Fairlie Community Association would value any support for their campaign to r etain council funding.’
Council tax payments go into North Ayrshire Council’s revenue account, which is used for the dayto-day running of the council. it spends the money on various services, including roads, bins, schools and street lighting.
it is also investing with Sustrans in a long-awaited shorefront path project and has undertaken resurfacing improvements in Fairlie recently.
North Ayrshire Council said no decision has yet been taken on the future of community centres or libraries and that consultations were ongoing.
‘We need to save these facilities’