Local authority approves almost 5% tax increase

A rise in council tax of just under 5% has been approved as part of Wakefield Council's budget for the next financial year.

The authority is looking to balance its books as it faces a funding shortfall of more than £39m for the next financial year and around £88m over the next five years.

The council tax rise of 4.99% would bring in an additional sum of just over £9m, representing a rise of £1.65 per week for Band D households and £1.10 per week for a Band A property.

Council leader Denise Jeffery said: "We've taken responsible decisions to build a positive, long-term future for our district."

The council tax rise is the maximum allowed without having to hold a referendum and will affect households from the beginning of April.

Jeffery said the budget was "underpinned by what our residents want" and protected "our frontline services".

They included maintaining roads and emptying bins, creating safer communities, caring for the borough's most vulnerable residents and "giving our young people the best possible start in life", she said.

The budget was approved at a meeting of the full council held on Monday, with the £29m of savings including:

• Saving £3.8m through use of technology and digital transformation
• Changing organisational and business support services to save £2.4m
• Saving £2.5m by improving commissioning and contract management
• Changing the way some adult social care services work to save £3.9m
• Saving over £1m by reducing the use of hotels for homelessness provision

Deputy leader Jack Hemingway said the budget will allow the Labour-led authority "to be more sustainable in the long-term".

"The work doesn't stop now our budget is approved," he said.

"We'll be continuing to get the best possible value for money in everything we do by working hard to be more efficient and modernise how we work."

Criticising the authority's council tax rise, Conservative and Independent group leader Nadeem Ahmed said: "I don't think that local councils, whatever party they are, should be adding to the burden of people who are already struggling."

He said that people had enough to contend with as they faced rises in household costs, adding: "I just don't think people can afford it any more."

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