A Council meeting to allow the elected members to agree to a 20% increase in commercial rates last Wednesday was adjourned after the proposal failed to attract the support anticipated by Council officials. The Council had previously informed the members that the hike would be 5% for each of the next four years. We were told that Council officials met with party members before the meeting in an attempt to find some common ground. However, we were told that nothing new emerged and effectively the meeting never got off the ground. Another meeting is scheduled for next week and we have heard that negotiations may be continuing behind the scenes. However, Cllrs have pointed out that their statutory budget meeting last year was not until December 4th and the haste with this year’s meeting is not acceptable because nobody has any idea what the October budget might deliver.
