Attended meeting of the Charter Trust which oversees the Mayor of Durham this afternoon. I have been pushing for another reduction in the Council Tax levy following successfully cutting the tax by 14% last year after negotiating with the County council and changing the way the Trust is managed. I could see no reason to have money in reserves which is not needed and given the excellent reduction in costs, wanted to see the charge reduced further for residents.

The trust has agreed that for the coming year the charge will be cut by around 11% ! All the services the mayor carries out will continue with additional funding to cover increased costs this year for the Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics, so all in all a great success. This means that the average cost per household for the Mayor of Durham and all the historic accompanyments will be less than £4 per household.

Another sign that one of the budgets the Lib Dems have serious influence in is being managed properly, with savings passed on to residents.