East Riding Council to cut jobs and put up tax 4.99%

Council tax bills in East Yorkshire will rise by nearly 5% this year.

The rise consists of 2.99% for general services and 2% for adult social services and is the highest increase allowed before needing a public vote.

Plans also include reducing the council's workforce by 400 posts over the next two years.

The job cuts aim to save the authority up to £12m a year.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Conservative and Independent coalition was backed by Yorkshire Party councillors in supporting the budget, which passed by 37 votes to five, with 16 councillors abstaining.

The cabinet member for finance, Nigel Wilkinson, told the meeting the reduction in workers would be achieved by "natural attrition, a reduction of management layers, redeployment and voluntary redundancies" with £6.6m put aside to pay for the job cuts.

Other spending items include £21m for the Jocks Lodge road improvement scheme, £18m for the Howden Link Road and more than £12m for vehicle purchases.

Liberal Democrat councillor Denis Healy described the budget as being "untenable, flimsy, and most likely unachievable".

Labour and Reform UK groups in the council either rejected the budget or abstained from the vote.

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