PEOPLE in Bicester can have their say about whether they agree with Cherwell District Council’s budget plans for 2021/22.

A public consultation has opened to allow residents to voice their opinions on the 53 savings proposals that have been identified by the council.

It needs to make cuts to this year's budget and the proposals would save the council £4.3m for 2021/22 rising to £4.8m by 2025/26.

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Some of the community savings include increasing car parking charges, increasing the charge for using public toilets from 10p to 20p and imposing an annual £36 charge on people who subscribe to the council’s garden waste collection service.

Some of the other areas include increasing rent by one per cent for affordable homes and shared ownership properties owned by the council, reducing the grant payment to The Mill Arts Centre Trust in Banbury and establishing a joint CDC/Oxfordshire County Council property service.

The council is also proposing to increase council tax by £5 for the average Band D property which is the maximum amount the government will currently allow.

No decisions have been made yet and the public have until January 8 to have their say on the plans.

The council’s executive committee will then propose the budget on February 1, 2021 taking into account comments and the council will then consider the budget at a meeting on February 22, 2021.

Councillor Conrad Copeland expressed his confusion as to why the council would consider increasing rent by one per cent for affordable and share ownership homes which would increase the council’s revenue by £95,000.

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He said in the budget committee meeting last month: “We can talk about standard increases all we like but this is a non-standard year. Inflation this year is 0.5 per cent, the standard increase in rent is double that in a year when people have lost 4.5 per cent of their income, something that has affected people who live in these homes significantly more.

“So, what is the rationale for basically taking money from people who don’t have it, even more so in an exceptional year when we’re supposed to be helping them and costs presumably have only increased by half as much. Are we looking to seek revenue from the poorest in our district?”

His question was considered ‘political’ by chair Councillor Nicholas Mawer and officer Jane Portman said she would send a response in writing to the committee.

Redundancies or changes in staff shift patterns could also be made across the council in order to save money, but this was considered ‘wholly inappropriate’ by Chief Executive Yvonne Rees to be discussed in the meeting last week.

You can have your say on the budget proposals by visiting www.cherwell.gov.uk/budgetconsultation and completing the online questionnaire.