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Councillors on Babergh District Council’s Strategy Committee have concluded that they are unable, given the present circumstances, including the costs involved and the absence of Government or other external funding, to recommend that the Council funds the building of a new swimming pool in Hadleigh. This recommendation sets out the framework within which this issue and the wider priorities for the Council will be put out to public consultation via Babergh’s forthcoming State of the District Debate.
Nick Ridley, Babergh’s Strategy Committee Chairman explained that this recommendation “means nothing is ruled in and nothing ruled out from the consideration of this most difficult of decisions. However, the Strategy Committee has done its job by being honest about the issues facing the Council as to the funding of any such facility. Councillors were aware of their wider responsibilities, both to delivering the Council’s stated priorities as well as the need to represent the interests of residents across the district”.
“The Committee also felt that consideration needed to be given to its stated aim, based on the views of residents, to strive to keep any future Council Tax increases to no more than the rate of inflation. Furthermore, even if consultation with residents throughout the district showed a clear majority in favour of funding the Pool through Council Tax increases, there is a risk that the Government may ‘cap’ the Council Tax increase and so not allow it to raise the extra revenue”.
“Having set out the difficult choices facing the Council, we are soon to consult with residents both on this specific issue and the wider questions as to the public’s service priorities and how to fund them. We will listen very carefully to what is said when our full Council comes to debate the budget for 2006/07”.
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