Investing in your future

It's the time of year when council tax bills will be hitting doormats. The money you pay will be used to make Hull a safer and healthier city with improved education and job opportunities.

A bill coming through your letterbox is unlikely to ever be a welcome sight.
And as you decide how to pay your council tax - by direct debit, for example, or at your local customer service centre - probably the last thing on your mind would be how paying it benefits you.
So, have you ever considered the value of what you get from paying council tax or the vital services that Hull City Council provides?
What about schools, housing, social services, refuse collections and street cleaning, the jobs being created by the council and its partners through developments such as St Stephen's, and work to tackle issues such as crime and antisocial behaviour?
By paying your council tax, you are supporting the council to achieve success for residents in four key areas:

• Making the city healthier
• Making it safer
• Improving learning opportunities
• Improving earning opportunities

A city in good shape

Just think of refuse collection, street cleaning, and the battle against fly-tipping, vandalism and graffiti. All these council services help to improve the environment we live in. And evidence shows that such improvements are also beneficial to the emotional well-being of residents. The council provides and maintains numerous parks, gardens and open spaces across the city that offer the ideal environment to exercise and enjoy the greenery and fresh air. And the next time you're driving down one of the hundreds of Hull's roads, you're also relying on the work of council staff, who work in all weathers to maintain the road surfaces, and keep the traffic flowing. Help for the needy What's more, the council helps to provide residential care homes and sheltered accommodation for some of the city's most vulnerable residents. In fact, the Adult Social Services team was recently awarded three out of four stars following a Government assessment. One of the strengths recognised was the way in which people with health problems are helped to live independently at home using new technologies. A city for life The council is also in partnership with the local NHS to improve awareness about health issues such as stopping smoking, alcoholism and healthy eating. One aim is to increase the average life expectancy by preventing the spread of heart disease and cancers.

Helping you live in safety

The number of vehicles thefts has reduced by more than 52 per cent and house burglaries by 50 per cent since 2004. And the overall crime rate in Hull has fallen by a third during that time. Much of the success is down to local crime-fighting partnership Hull Citysafe, made up of Hull City Council, Humberside Police, Humberside Fire and Rescue, the local NHS, Humberside Probation Service and other agencies. Citysafe has worked at reducing the number of alcohol-related violent assaults in the city centre and removing drug dealers from the streets. But the fight against crime continues. "We want residents in Hull to feel safe in the neighbourhoods they live in," says Head of Citysafe Tracy Harsley. "To do this we work with communities to identify their concerns, and we engage with residents of all ages - working in partnership to bring about solutions to problems and to encourage communities to become involved with making Hull a safe place to live, work and enjoy."

Hull – a higher grade city

Last year more than half of all Year 11 students achieved five or more GCSE A*- C grades. That's an increase of more than 20 per cent in five years - compared to a national increase of 10 per cent over the same period. And improvements are set to become bigger and better as all of Hull's secondary schools and special schools prepare for transformation under the £350 million Building Schools for the Future project. Some schools will be rebuilt or remodelled, while others will close under the project – which aims to revolutionise teaching and learning in the city. "It's a fantastic opportunity to help us move forward," says Nigel Richardson, director of Children and Young People's Services at Hull City Council. "Teaching and learning is now very different to what it was a generation ago, and this project recognises that and will help us improve the educational achievements of the next generation." Meanwhile, the council and its partners are working hard to cut truancy levels and bullying in schools - and to ensure that no child is left behind by improving a range of services from childcare provision and family support, right through to adoption services. And it's working – because the council's Children and Young People's Services team recently received three out of four stars in a rating from Government inspectors. Primary schools About one in 10 of all the city's primary schools been judged as 'excellent' by Government inspectors. The latest SAT results at key stage 2 for English, maths and science were the highest that Hull has ever achieved – and the rate of improvement in Hull over the past 10 years is higher than the national average. Lifelong learning But learning is not just for children and young people. The council offers a wide range of courses at five adult education centres across the city (plus at more than 150 outreach locations). The courses range from help to improve job skills, to learning for fun on cooking and arts courses.

Helping you earn a living

More than 24,000 bus, coach and rail passengers travel through Hull's brand-new £17 million Transport Interchange every day. It helps people get to work on time, not to mention shoppers and tourists who bolster the local economy. Next door, more than 1,300 jobs have so far been created (at least 300 for people who were previously unemployed) in the St Stephen's retail and leisure development. And Hull City Council is one of the key partners in plans to create thousands more jobs in the city centre over the next few years through a range of developments including: The Quay West project - an extension of Princes Quay shopping centre The Boom - a mix of apartments, shops and offices on the east bank of the River Hull. The regeneration of the Fruit Market and Albion Street areas with office, leisure and residential developments. "More than 2,000 jobs will be created in the construction industry in building these developments," says head of Regional Development at Hull City Council Mark Jones. "And when the building work is finished, another 6,000 jobs will be created in the retail and leisure industries, and in the business service sector." Driving Hull Forward But jobs are not just being created in the city centre. The council and its partners are also making the most of Hull's status as a port, by helping to develop the logistics and manufacturing industries, and the renewable energy and health sectors. Such developments will be driven by one of the first new economic development companies in the UK- known as Hull Forward. Looking forward ... Hull City Council wants to give residents the chance to have their say in the setting of next year's budget. It is hoped consultations can be carried out to ask Hull people how they want the budget to be spent and which council services should have priority for funding. "We want Hull residents to be more involved in the process around the use of their council taxes and we are looking at how we can make this happen," says Martin Fox, the council's head of corporate finance. "We are working up plans at the moment so watch this space.

How your council tax bill is worked out Council tax is charged against property value. Each home is put into one of eight bands according to its value on April 1, 1990. Most homes in Hull – that's about 80 per cent – fall into Band A (because the property was valued at less than £40,000 in 1991). That means this year they will pay £861.82. It's a rise of £32.65 on last year (that's 3.94 per cent) partly to take into account inflation. Out of the council tax £49.19 is paid to the fire authority and £104.21 to the police. Where does the rest of council's money comes from? Of course, the council couldn't afford to pay for all its services with money collected from the council tax alone. In fact, only about 20 per cent of the council's revenue comes from the council tax. The rest of the money comes from central government – which uses a complex formula to allocate funds to each local authority in the country according to the level of population and an assessment of its needs. Of the £364.1 million the council has budgeted to spend over the next financial year 2008/9, only about £73.4 million will come from council tax. The rest is made up of £149.4 million from the Dedicated Schools Grant, and £141.4 million will come from the Revenue Support Grant and business rates. info More in-depth information about the council tax is contained in a leaflet entitled "Your Council, Your Money 2008-2009" which is being delivered with every bill. Also, the council's Budget Book and Statement of Accounts are available at the Central Library. Further details of the council's finances can be obtained by writing to the Chief Finance Officer, PO BOX 15, Hull, HU1 2AB or by ringing 300300.