Walsall Council tax up five per cent and lollipop patrols cut as local authority seeks to balance books
Most school lollipop patrols across Walsall borough will be scrapped as part of a package of cuts to save the authority almost £29 million.
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Walsall Council tax is also set to rise by nearly five per cent, and parking charges will increase by about 20 per cent as the authority battles to balance the books.
The tax for an average band D property will rise from £2,361 to £2,479 once charges for policing and fire services are taken into account across Walsall borough.
The cost-cutting measures were announced by council leader Councillor Garry Perry and his deputy Councillor Mark Statham on Thursday as they presented their draft budget for the 2025/26 financial year.
Councillor Perry said the Walsall Leather Museum was also set to move from its present location in Littleton Street to a new base in the centre of town, saving the council about £190,000 a year.
A review of how the town's market operates will also take place, and Councillor Perry said the authority would be open to the idea of handing both the borough's markets and its parking services to a private operator.
Councillor Statham, who is the council's portfolio holder for finance, said the council, like all metropolitan authorities in the West Midlands, had been forced to make difficult financial decisions.
