IN a rare display of unanimity, the Forest Council approved its budget for the forthcoming year – but the political divide on how services should be funded was also laid bare.

The council also approved an increase of 2.96 per cent in Council Tax from April meaning the district element of bills for an ‘average’ Band D property will be £173.83.

While all parties agreed the first budget set by the Forest First group, Labour criticised the previous Conservative administration for years of Council Tax freezes.

Labour councillor Bernie O’Neill claimed small rises in annual Council Tax could have got around the need to introduce charges for services such as green waste removal.

But leader of the Conservative group, Cllr Brian Robinson, said people chose whether to use such “commercial” services while taxpayers had no option but to part with their cash.

Cllr O’Neill, who represents Littledean, said: “For six years Council Tax was frozen – it was a false premise and we’ve been saying this since 2010-11.

“The previous administration spoke of their pride at freezing Council Tax but at the same time they brought in a garden waste charge of £25, bulky items at £15 and car parking charges.

“If the council had increased Council Tax by two per cent per annum, as we were putting forward from 2010-11, Council Tax for Band D would be £193.95 which is just under £20 higher than is being proposed at the moment.”

Cllr Robinson, who represents Mitcheldean, said the budget maintained the priorities that were first put forward by the Tories.

But he rejected the claim that if the council had more money it could fund more services.

He added: “They are commercial services and people choose to use them – our plan is that commercial services should cover their costs and should not be subsidised by the taxpayer.

“Commercial services are what you choose to take and taxpayers have no choice in what they pay.”

Cllr Roger James (Forest First, Coleford East), the Cabinet member for finance, said the council’s grant from central government had been cut by £4.4million since 2010.

He said: “The budget delivers a balanced budget with a modest, below inflation Council Tax increase of 2.96 per cent.

“It lays the basis for self-sufficiency and is sustainable. It provides for no increases in car parking charges and no increase in green waste collection charges.”

Total Council Tax bills are made up of the district council charge, £1,232.21 at Band D for Gloucestershire County Council, £226.49 for Gloucestershire Police and between £15.09 and £189.73 for town and parish councils.