Cross-party support as council tax to rise by 5.98 per cent

COUNCIL tax in Warrington will rise by 5.98 per cent this year after the proposed increase received cross-party support at a meeting of the full council.

The increase was justified by finance chief Cllr. Russ Bowden to make savings of £15.5 million imposed by central government.

It will result in the average cost of a Band D property being an estimated £1,665.42, including police, fire and rescue and parish council precepts.

Cllr Bowden has been working closely with chief finance officer Lynton Green and the leader and deputy leader of the council for the last six months to formulate the 2018-19 budget.

The council has already made savings of £20.5m and £8.8m in 2016-17 and 2017-18 but has to make additional savings of £38m over the next four years.

Up to 40 jobs could be under threat but Cllr Bowden says the council will work closely with staff and the trade unions to reduce the need for compulsory redundancies.

He pointed out that last year it had been projected 80 jobs could go but in reality this had turned out to be 17, 10 of which were voluntary.

“While the figures for the coming year are 40 I am confident it will be less,” he said.

The 5.98 per cent increase received cross party support with no one voting against it although there was a heated exchange between Council leader Terry O’Neill and Lib Dem opposition leader Bob Barr.

Cllr O’Neill pointed the finger of austerity at Lib Dem councillors for propping up the Tory Government in the past while Cllr Barr hit back saying cuts had started back in 2006 under a Labour government.

But after the dust settled Lib Dem finance spokesperson Cllr Ian Marks commended the council on “creative income generation,” although he expressed concerns over “risk exposure” and the down grading of the council’s credit rating.

Conservative Cllr Kath Buckley described it as a “balalnced budget” and said the council had been  “forward thinking with investment.”

Included in the Council Tax are individual precepts fixed by parish councils as follows (per Band D property): Appleton: £28.75; Birchwood: £101.54; Burtonwood and Westbrook: £23.84; Croft: £75.63; Culcheth and Glazebury: £31.43; Grappenhall and Thelwall: £38.67; Great Sankey: £34.51; Hatton: £15.55; Lymm: £34.14; Penketh: £67.92; Poulton with Fearnhead: £21.70; Rixton with Glazebrook: £31.60; Stockton Heath: £48; Stretton: £23.56; Walton: £10.63; Winwick: £62.82; Woolston: £8.61.

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