Dudley residents ready for hike in council tax

The authority is planning to increase council tax by 2.99 per cent, and charge households a further 1.5 per cent - under a precept - to fund adult social care.

Councillor Steve Clark, cabinet member for finance, said: “No council wants to increase council tax, but this small increase is the right thing to do for our residents.”

Most households, in band B properties, will pay an extra 82p per week if the plans are approved by council bosses.

Households in band D properties will pay an extra £1.05. Nearly 1,500 took part in the consultation, called the Big Question, from November to January.

Council bosses will discuss the results at cabinet on Thursday.

In 2017, the government agreed to a deal allowing councils to increase council tax by 2.99 per cent.

The government also approved a new social care precept – an extra rise in council tax – to generate money specifically for investing adult social care, benefitting older and more vulnerable people.

Councils were allowed to increase council tax under the precept between one and three per cent, with Dudley Council opting for a 1.5 per cent increase.

This would make it the second lowest council tax rate in the country of metropolitan boroughs.

It comes at a time when local authorities face a fall in funding from central government.

Dudley Council has put forward savings of £4m for the next financial year starting from April.

Council bosses will also consider increasing the social care precept by a further 1.5 per cent from April 2019, under proposed government rules.

Councillor Clark continued: “We’ve already made significant savings, including £4m additional savings in 2018/19, but we still need to invest in our services.

“The government’s increase, which was announced in December, will allow us to continue to serve our residents.

“Every per cent we increase council tax by, is an extra £1m into public services at relatively little weekly cost to the individual.

"And while we’re looking to introduce this small increase, our residents still pay one of the lowest rates of council tax in the country and we have the lowest council tax in the West Midlands.”

The planned increase will be decided by at a full council meeting on February 19.