Five percent council tax increase
Council tax payers in Dudley face an average £69 increase in their bills next year after a 4.9 per cent rise was confirmed.
The proposed hike will see a Band D home’s charge go up to £1,450 a year as the authority attempts to balance its books in the wake of Covid-19.
Councillor Steve Clark, cabinet member for finance and legal services, announced the expected rise as he laid out the borough’s proposed budget for next year.
Saying the council was a low taxing and low spending authority, he added it faced an uncertain future due to the impact of coronavirus.
“We believe that it is import to to keep investing in Dudley so we are best placed to recover from the present crisis,” he said.
“That is why this budget not only meets the needs of vulnerable adults and children but also maintains our plans to regenerate the borough as well as putting new money into community support police officers.
“The proposals in this budget are based on a forecast of council tax increase of 4.99 percent next April and even with this ours will remain one of the lowest in the country.”
In addition to the rise, the draft budget proposed nearly £4.5 million cuts in children’s and adult protection services in order to meet increasing costs.
The care of people with dementia and learning disabilities is predicted to increase by £3.8 million overall by 2023.
Other suggested savings range from closing or leasing out Halesowen Cornbow Hall, the sale of council buildings, stopping the locking of cemetery gates and reducing the maintenance of football pitches.
Councillor Clark added the borough’s finance bosses are now examining the details of government financial support to Dudley before presenting a final budget in the New Year.
