THE leaders of Salisbury City Council have issued a statement responding to criticisms of its latest budget. 

At a full council meeting last week (January 16), Salisbury City Council agreed a rise in the precept of £102 per year.

This means that those who pay Band D tax council will pay £335 per year, and those at Band C will pay £297.78, Band B £260.56 and Band A £223.33. 

The council says that within Salisbury 60 per cent of properties are Band D and below, with the most numerous band being Band C. 

Full details of the budget agreed can be seen on the council website here.

Leaders of the Council, Cllrs Victoria Charleston (Lib Dem), Ian Tomes (Labour) and Annie Riddle (Independent), have defended the budget, saying it is not party political and that is it balanced. 

They said: "The city council’s reserves cannot be raided. They are already at the minimum level, and must be rebuilt.

"Like households and businesses everywhere in this economic crisis, we face hugely increased costs.

"Ours include the management of assets such as the Poultry Cross, where insurance will not cover all the repairs found to be needed after last year’s car crash, and upgrading our public toilets and playgrounds."

Read more: Salisbury City Council approves budget

They added that there there is a "significant increase" in the staffing budget because the council has taken on grounds and streetscene staff from former Wiltshire Council contractors idVerde.

Since the previous budget in January 2022, the council says it has seen an increase of 223 per cent in its electricity charges, 208 per cent on gas and 50 per cent on water and sewerage. Combined, these take its utility bills over half a million pounds.

The leaders added: "We’ve had a nationally agreed pay rise for staff averaging eight per cent, with another four per cent allowed for in the next financial year. Our insurance has more than doubled to £160,000. And we’re facing an unknown rise in business rates in April.

"We also have to pay higher employers’ pension contributions – up from 11.1 to 13.7 per cent.

"We are not funding any fancy new projects. We are maintaining much-needed community services such as the Pantry and looking at co-working with a charity to reduce our overheads. We have reduced or cut entirely spending on other things which are not our core responsibility, such as city centre security guards, policing of litter louts, and public art.

"We have cut £10,000 from the Neighbourhood Plan budget, reduced spending on floral displays, ringroad cleansing, the Future Salisbury group which promotes the city, and on our Christmas and summer events budget (down 10 per cent).

"We have repeatedly invited the Conservatives to share in the council’s joint administration but they say they prefer to be in opposition. Nonetheless, we invited them to join us in preparing this budget. They didn’t even reply.”

To read the statement in full, click here. 

The council's Conservative group - the opposition group - said last week: “From the first moment it was proposed by the administration, we could never support a 44 per cent annual increase in the precept in one year. We are all having to watch the pounds in our pocket and bills have gone up but putting the pressure on residents with such a significant rise in the City Council precept is absolutely the wrong decision.

"We proposed a minimum of £296,000 of savings to quickly restore our cultural grant cuts, safeguard city centre security and bring back cuts to litter enforcement. We are so disappointed that, despite discussing these proposals with officers beforehand, the Council administration would not engage with our ideas.

"It was telling that even an administration Councillor could not support this budget. It’s only with a Conservative-run Salisbury City Council that we can restore common sense decision-making for our community.”