Wolverhampton council taxpayers face hike in bills
Council taxpayers in Wolverhampton will face a rise of around £70 in their bills after an increase was backed by councillors.
Wolverhampton Council has approved an increase in tax of almost five per cent.
The Labour-run authority passed the plans for its 2019-2020 budget at a full-council meeting last night, which will see a 4.99 per cent council tax increase.
Included in the 4.99 per cent increase is two per cent that the government expects the council to impose to fund adult social care.
This will mean an increase of £76.80 for properties in the city that fall under band D, which incorporates £46 for council tax and £30.80 for adult social care.
There will be an increase of around £5 per month for the council element of the bill, for properties in bands A and B in the city.
The authority has no control over the tax for police and fire services which also appears on the bill, where there will be a £24 increase for policing and a 17p a week increase for fire and rescue services.
When passing the budget, the council also forecast that future cuts could be in the region of £40-£50 million over the next few years.
The changes come as the council aims to save £28.3 million by the end of 2019/20.
Councillor Louise Miles, cabinet member for resources, said: “The council will set a balanced budget and we will not need to use general reserve balances - our contingency fund for unforeseen events - for the sixth year running.
"This year Council Tax will increase by 4.99 per cent, which comprises 2.99 per cent, which is the maximum for all services, plus the additional two per cent the government expects us to levy to go towards funding Adult Social Care.
"Current levels of funding for adult social care are woefully inadequate and the money we are able to raise via the two per cent barely covers the tip of the iceberg.
"We, like all councils, eagerly await the publication of the much-delayed Government green paper on the future funding model for adult social care.
"For the vast majority of properties in Wolverhampton, which are in bands A and B, the proposed council tax increase means a rise of less than £5 per month for the council element of the bill, we have no control over the precept levied by the police and fire authorities which also appear on bills.
"Councils across the land continue to face the most challenging financial circumstances in living memory as money from central government is cut at the same time as demand for services – such as adult social care - rise.
"Over the past eight years, we have had to reduce our spending on services by more than £220 million.
"Based on current information, we forecast that future cuts in the region of £40-£50 million will be necessary over the next few years.
"At a recent meeting with a Government minister, where we strongly made the case for more money for councils, it was made clear to us that Whitehall expects councils to raise monies locally including charges and council tax to pay for services.
"Even by raising council tax by the maximum amount we can without triggering a local referendum, it still leaves us with a funding shortfall which will need to be addressed by cuts to services, efficiencies and ways to raise income.
"I know this explanation may provide little comfort, but I hope it goes some way to explaining the stark choices we face.
"Despite these financial challenges we are committed to trying to protect our communities from the worst effects of service reduction.”
The council's budget report was unanimously agreed by the local authority's cabinet at a meeting on February 20.
The plans for the budget were then put to the full council where the Labour-run authority rubber-stamped their financial plans for the coming year.
