And it doesn't take a genius to predict that we are all going to have to pay come April. And pay more for less.
The softening-up process has already begun. Mansfield householders are being told to expect an increase of three per cent on their bill
s to pay for the district council's part of the overall bill. That equates to an extra 10p a week for a band D property.
On the face of it, that sounds reasonable, even if it is not the reduction promised by the Mayor. To be fair to him, he would not have known when he made the pledge that cuts in the all-important Revenue Support Grant from the Government would make this impossible.
What may anger people more are the further cuts in services the council is making in order to help balance its books.
Taken in isolation, they may not seem that critical. But the cumulative effect of closing town centre toilets, cutting back on expenditure on flower beds, scrapping playground areas, scaling down the annual Summer in the Streets celebrations and putting up car park charges do nothing for a town supposedly striving to make itself more attractive to visitors.
Portfolio holder for resources Coun Roger Sutcliffe says the Council Tax increase should be kept in perspective: "The council has not impinged on people's purses more than we have to."
Maybe not. But perhaps people will appreciate now what a difference 10p a week can make to the quality of life of everybody in Mansfield.
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