A ‘SHAMEFUL’ decision by councillors not to cut their own mileage allowance was criticised during Tuesday’s full council budget meeting, in which cuts of £26m were agreed for the next year in Wiltshire.

The decision to raise the average council tax by £80 after a six-year freeze was also criticised, as councillors agreed to a 2.99 per cent annual increase.

During a heated meeting, the Liberal Democrats argued that councillors should experience their own part of efficiency savings by cutting their mileage allowance from 45p to 25p a mile, to save the council £25,000 a year.

But this was voted down, as was their challenge to cut the number of portfolio holders used by the council.

Liberal Democrat leader Ian Thorn said: “It is shameful we can come up with all the excuses in the world but councillors are not willing to make any move to take their part in the pain caused by efficiency savings experienced by Wiltshire residents.”

He also criticised the Conservative-controlled council’s decision to introduce a council tax rise of £80 for an average Band D household, lifting the six-year council tax freeze with a 2.99 per cent annual increase as well as a three per cent social care levy. He said: “I don’t agree with the statement that no rises in six years means council has been made more efficient.

“We have also been told £6.6m savings from social care need to be made, despite no savings outlined in the budget.”

Council leader Baroness Jane Scott said: “Whilst we’ve increased the adult social care budget over the last four years by £13.5 million, we have to rethink how care is going to be provided going forward. We cannot sustain an ongoing investment to meet the increasing demand.

“We want to continue to help people to live at home for longer and enable them to take responsibility for their own wellbeing. We will raise the social care levy by three per cent.

“This won’t raise enough money to keep up with demand so we have to do something definite and something radical.”

During the meeting Cllr Philip Whitehead, Cabinet member for

finance, outlined the plan to commercialise and transform the way the council operates in order to balance its books, which included creating more automated services online and changing the way it runs adult social care.

Efficiency savings could result in redundancies among council staff.

Council leader Baroness Jane Scott said “We will continue to invest in communities and devolve services that are best delivered locally.

“I have decided to propose an amendment to the budget and to allocate £669,000 to go into street scene services to help to improve the environment, including combating litter and fly-tipping.”

Cllr Christopher Devine criticised the proposal and said: “That money was for rural areas which has many issues including slow broadband, youth unemployment and more and you want to take it away and give it to street scene in inner city areas. I think this shows an arrogance.”

The budget, which includes efficiency savings of £25.596m, was approved by 64 votes to 18, with one abstention from Cllr Edward Kirk.

Baroness Scott also highlighted the success of community hubs in Devizes and Calne and expressed the council’s wish to create more hubs in the future.