A Cumbrian council has recommended a 4.99% council tax rise for the next financial year.
Cumberland Council’s executive met yesterday to agree budget proposals, which will go before the full council on March 3 for ratification.
The budget includes £371m for the day-to-day spending of the council to pay for services such as waste collections and disposal, road repairs, public health, children’s and adult social care, and leisure services.
There is also some £280m on investment spending into the council’s buildings and local communities.
Currently, 50% of the day-to-day spending by the authority is funded by council tax.
By 2029/30 this is predicted to rise to 59%, after a 9.4% or £16.5m drop in government spending.
The council said it had developed a transformation plan to meet the challenges and ensure it is more financially sustainable in the longer term and its budget included £32m in savings and increases in income in the next financial year.
Council taxpayers face a 4.99% rise in the authority’s precept – a rise of 2.99% in the core council tax element of the bill for Cumberland Council services and a 2% rise in the Adult Social Care precept.
Overall, this 4.99% increase will mean a rise to a Band D council tax bill of £1.83 a week.
The executive heard that there were growing pressures in the children’s services department due to growing levels of need.
Its director asked that the council formally review the budget to see if the resources remained sufficient to meet the authority’s duties. The council’s chief financial officer confirmed the risks were identified within the budget report, and that further work would be done to assess whether recommendations need to be brought forward to ensure the final budget remains robust and sustainable.
Cllr Barbara Cannon, executive member with responsibility for finance and assets, said: “Our financial situation remains challenging as demand for some services continues to rise at a rate faster than funding.
“Council tax provides the lion’s share of our funding, and this will only increase over the next three years. Therefore, any decision not to increase council tax, even if just by inflation, would have a major impact on our ability to deliver services in the future.
“Our transformation plan has already delivered tens of millions in savings and has allowed us to invest in our services in a way that will deliver better outcomes for our residents in the coming years. This plan, which has also put us on a more financially sustainable footing, will continue.
“Over our first few years we have also invested millions into our communities and this capital investment will continue in the coming year, and will see some £280m spent on our services, our assets and infrastructure and our city, towns and villages for the benefit of everyone.
“This investment includes funding on the priorities of our residents with millions spent on our roads and infrastructure, as well as money for schools, and on regeneration projects from Carlisle to Millom.
“We are very aware of the implications of increasing council tax given the ongoing cost of living issues for local residents.
“This is why we offer a council tax reduction scheme which costs around £22m a year, and can help reduce the bill of those on low incomes. I’d encourage anyone who thinks they are eligible but has yet to apply to contact us.”
The council’s capital programme includes investment in bus services and road and port infrastructure in Cumberland.
There is also £5.9m to be spent on Disabled Facilities Grants to enable people to remain in their home for longer, nearly £12m into schools alongside a further £2.5m for additional classroom space at Mayfield School and Branthwaite Academy.
The budget includes £10m to be spent on improving the area’s children’s homes.
