INITIATIVES to help the town centre, homeless people and the environment will be funded by tax collected from out-of-town retail parks under Rugby Borough Council’s (RBC) approved budget for 2019-20.
The budget includes a £4.19 per year Council Tax rise for an average Band D property – meaning Rugby residents will pay an extra £93 per year on average after Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire Police raised their shares by £65 and £24 respectively.
Shoppers will be able to park for free at council-run car parks at weekends and from 6pm to 6am on weekdays, funded by £60,000 raised from retail parks.
Other similarly-funded schemes include an extra housing officer to help people out of homelessness, and environmental projects including electric vehicle charging points in the town centre.
The Conservative-run council also plans to save £125,000 a year by collecting rubbish from the kerbside only.
Council leader Coun Michael Stokes said: “We will continue to invest in services and officers that provide valuable support to some of the most vulnerable people.
“Residents will see investment in our borough, town centre, parks and open spaces and for the good of the environment.”
An amendment tabled by Labour councillors – which would have created a £1,000 pot for each ward to clean up fly-tipping on private land – was rejected.
Group leader Coun Claire Edwards said: “We hoped this would lead to a decrease in fly-tipping.”
Her party also wanted to commit £6,000 to tackling discrimination towards the LGBT+ community in Rugby, which was found to be rife by a Warwickshire Pride report.
Coun Maggie O’Rourke said: “It was disappointing our proposals were voted down as this is an issue that is really important for so many people.”
Liberal Democrat councillors did not support the budget as the council’s Medium Term Financial Plan for 2019-23 allows for possible future increases to the garden waste collection charge, first introduced in 2017.
Group leader Coun Jerry Roodhouse said: “With revenue streams drying up, measures to move to kerbside collections, and plans to charge residents even more for a green bin, it is now clear that RBC’s budget is predicated on the garden waste charge.
“The Conservative-led administration must get a grip of the situation or charges will continue to go up and up.”
