Water park funding, parking prices up, money for Fletton Quays bridge - Labour reveals alternative Peterborough budget

A fortnight before the Conservative-run council’s budget is voted on, Labour has presented its own proposals.

The highlights are:

. Bringing refuse and street collections ‘in-house’ so it is run by the council and not an outside organisation

. Funding Bretton Water Park - which has had its future thrown into doubt - by cutting the special responsibility allowances earned by senior councillors, including cabinet members and chairs of scrutiny committees, by £50,000

. A five per cent increase of on-street car parking prices, with officers also believing they can find £20,000 of efficiency savings

. Extending the scheme for landlords to require licences for their properties (Selective Licensing). Hampton and Ravensthorpe have been suggested as two possible places which could become Selective Licensing areas

. Funding to deliver/test verge parking measures

. Removing the £39,000 terrorism insurance and cutting the council’s communications budget by £30,000

. Investing £6 million to use empty buildings as temporary accommodation. The costs are expected to be recovered through rental income.

Labour group leader Cllr Ed Murphy said his party’s proposals, which have been signed off by council officers, would save £292,000.

This would leave money to fund a foot and cycle bridge between the Embankment and the new Fletton Quays development, which is wanted by all parties, as the estimated revenue cost would be around £200,000 a year.

Cllr Murphy said: “The funding is there for a bridge if the council is minded to put it in the budget.”

Labour is also proposing to scrap the costs for replacement bins, but Cllr Murphy said he was not yet able to explain the full details of the policy.

It is also proposed to keep the cost of paying for a brown bin at £39 (instead of the £45 proposed by the Conservatives) but to introduce a £30 charge to have a second brown bin collected.

All other Conservative budget proposals, including a six per cent council tax rise, would be kept by Labour.

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