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Free transport call to help credit crunch
PROVIDING free buses and trams at weekends would send council tax bills "into orbit", say Lib Dem councillors.
Labour said the council should investigate the possibility of providing free public transport into town on Saturdays and Sundays and suspend any increase in car parking charges for at least 12 months.
They said it would tempt shoppers into the city centre over Christmas and help traders.
The Lib Dems agreed to look into it but officers say it would cost 20 million a year to fund the schemes and the bill would be met by taxpayers.
Coun Simon Clement-Jones, cabinet member for finance, said: "However much we would like to see free public transport on a weekend, Labour are absolutely barmy to want to make local council tax payers foot the bill.
"Labour's plan would cost at least 20m every year and would send council tax bills into orbit.
"Each council tax paying household would face a cost of 91 extra on top of their bill."
Labour leader Coun Jan Wilson said: "We are incredibly concerned about city centre businesses during this very challenging economic climate and we wanted to look at any measures possible to help to protect local businesses.
"However, it is now clear that the cost of providing free weekend transport is too high to ask local taxpayers to bear and we therefore do not intend to pursue the current proposals for free weekend transport.
"We are now asking the leader of the council to urgently look at what other measures might be put in place to help local businesses over this difficult period."
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
