We have confounded the pundits yet again by freezing council tax 7 years running. Council Leader Seán Woodward said it was achieved without reducing essential services, while giving hard working staff a 6.2% pay rise – their first for 3 years. This is despite our Government grant being halved and receiving less per resident than almost every other council in the country. Take into account inflation, and it’s effectively a 22% tax cut. The County Council and Fire Authority have also frozen their council tax; only the police element will rise by 1.99%. Prudent investment in the property market will help to keep taxes low in future. The Council plans to take a tougher line with littering and dog fouling, plus putting more investment into youth services. It will continue to invest in apprenticeships and in the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus, where the runway has been resurfaced and the Merlin Innovation Centre will open soon, housing 150 jobs

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