South Yorkshire Times, March 19th, 1960
Rate Decreased By 2 Shillings
A surprise for Denaby and Conisbrough householders is that Conisbrough Urban Council’s highest ever rate of 25s. is to be reduced to 23s. and Council house rents will go down by as much as 7d.
Coun. G. Cheshire, finance committee chairman said at the Council meeting on Wednesday that the reduction had been achieved partly by an increased penny rate product but mainly due to increased government grant.
Coun. Cheshire said, “the reduction in the rents of council houses will range from approximately 4d. a week for tenants of smaller houses to 7d. per week for three bedroomed houses.”
Rateable value of the district on April 1st is estimated at £113,813, compared with £108,122 a year ago, and the penny rate product is estimated at £425 – an increase in £20 over the current year.
The increase was due to several factors, including a new school at Conisbrough, new sewage works at Denaby, and increased colliery assessments which took some account of the capital expenditure by the N.C.B. at Cadeby Colliery on the new washery plant.
Coun. Cheshire said that the rate for Urban capital purposes would be 8s., as opposed to 10s 3d during the past year, and 14s. the year before. The Urban Council were now taking only 35% of the total rate yield.
Coun. Cheshire said expenditure would include workshop and garage extensions at the Castle Farm depot, £2500; Crookhill Road Park, £1000; Northcliffe football pitch, £200; fencing and provision of new playground, £825; new lighting at public baths, £200; road improvements, £2492; street lighting schemes, £527; new refuse disposal tip and purchase of scraper, £659.
Coun. Cheshire said that the Ministry of Housing and Local Government had originally estimated that the Urban Council would receive £51,635 from Rare Deficiency Grant during the current year, but their second estimated showed a revised estimated £62,666 an increase to the Urban Council of £11,031.