Council tax to rise in Dudley by almost five per cent
Council tax is set to rise by almost five per cent across the Dudley borough next month as bosses approved the move to "balance the books".
Bosses at Dudley Council rubber-stamped the 4.99 per cent rise – including two per cent for adult social care – at a council meeting on Monday.
For those in the town’s cheapest houses and flats whose property falls into Band A, this will mean a council tax bill of slightly more than £100 a month (an annual bill of £1,229.31). For those in Band D properties, the total bill for the coming year will be just over £1,800.
Councillor Steve Clark, laying out the budget, said: "Our external auditors Grant Thornton have highlighted the uncertainty in our financial position and they’ve recommended that we do more to grow our income base. Taking this into account, we are proposing a council tax increase of 4.99 per cent.”
The ruling Tory leadership also announced that despite the tax hike, they would award £37.50 per household from the Council Tax Support fund meaning 17,000 low-income households will see some reduction in their bill next year.
The increase does not take into account precepts which will likely see the bill increase further.
Opposition Labour leader Councillor Qadar Zadar labelled the budget an ‘absolute joke’. He said: “If I were to send a WhatsApp message to describe this budget, I’d say 'WTF' – waste, Tory cuts and failure. That’s the description of what we’ve got.
“So let’s get back to what matters to residents. 1,600 people responded to the consultation on this budget and you would have thought that this administration would have taken on board what they responded with.
“They said two things mattered to them, one was older people’s services, and then refuse collection, recycling, roads, litter and street cleaning. And what did the council do in response? They cut three and a half million pounds from the public realm.
“An absolute joke. Like onions across the chamber, not because every time they open their mouths, the audience disappears but like the layers of an onion, the more we dig the more we want to cry.”
Tax increases by band
Band A – Increase of £63.02 (Annual total of £1,229.31)
Band B – Increase of £73.52 (Annual total of £1,434.2)
Band C – Increase of £84.01 (Annual total of £1,639.07)
Band D – Increase of £94.52 (Annual total of £1,843.97)
Band E – Increase of £115.52 (Annual total of £2,253.73)
