Pay more, get less: Wolverhampton council tax to rise as services slashed

The city's tips, car parks and roads face the brunt of 32 proposals which the council says are 'cuts, more efficient ways of working and plans to generate additional income'.

Household waste and recycling services will be hardest hit with £2.4m of savings in 2017/18 – with more detail to be revealed in the coming days.

The council has been forced to make cuts of £175m over the past six years amid Government funding reductions.

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It is estimated savings of £54m still have to be found, in addition to £37m of budget cuts already identified, by 2019-20.

At a meeting next week, the city's Labour cabinet is being asked to agree to public consultation on the cuts for 2017/18.

The city's finance chief, Councillor Andrew Johnson, said 'very difficult decisions' need to be taken in order to balance the books.

Proposals include:

• A council tax increase of 3.99 per cent

• Significant changes to household waste and recycling services that could save up to £2.4m a year

• The introduction of maximum waiting times or charges after several hours at some car parks

• A comprehensive review of all environmental service functions including parking services, highway maintenance and parks

Councillor Johnson said not increasing council tax would only result in more cuts to services.

He said: "We've been very open about the way we are managing cuts. We have always balanced the books despite years of austerity, but doing so requires very difficult decisions to be taken.

"We would rather not propose to raise council tax by the maximum amount of 3.99 per cent but we really have no option. People must understand that the 3.99 per cent includes the Government's two per cent charge to pay for adult social care.

"Not raising council tax would inevitably mean more cuts to services."

The proposals include introducing maximum waiting times, or charges after several hours at some car parks, to prevent people from leaving their vehicles all day in what is intended to be parking for shoppers and other business users.

Councillor Johnson said: "What we are doing on the car parks is a review of them and there will be questions in the consultation.

"We have got to increase our income from them. I think it will be all around the waiting; people who seem to be using them – when they are intended for shoppers – and getting the Metro to Birmingham.

"There is a possibility of putting a waiting time on them, but that's all going to be in the consultation for people to comment on."

Talks on the future of library services are also set to take place next year and Councillor Johnson said a 'pre-consultation' was currently taking place, with a view to a full consultation taking place between January and April next year to establish a 10-year library strategy.

"It is a complex area," he said, "We need to consult with stakeholders and service users."

Last week the Express & Star revealed that the two main tips in the city will be closed and a new 'super dump' built under budget proposals, while the authority is also considering bringing in green bin collection fees and standard bin collections could move from weekly to fortnightly.

The council is also looking at 'more efficient ways of working' and the commercialisation of some services to raise income.

There is a proposal to cut the subsidy to WV Active – the council's leisure brand – by a further £500,000, while looking to offset the reduction by increasing the number of memberships in the city.

The authority also hopes to make savings of £10m by making changes to financial transactions and base budget reductions which will have little or no minimum impact on the public and do not require consultation.

Subject to cabinet approval next Wednesday, the consultation will run for 12 weeks. Residents will be able to have their say online and at a series of public meetings.

The results of the consultation will then be considered and proposals reviewed before any final decisions are made on the 2017/18 budget next spring.

Councillor Johnson added: "We've delivered a balanced budget for two years running without having to use our contingency reserves.

"A recent review of our financial processes by the Local Government Association praised the council for its financial management and innovations.

"There are still more difficult times ahead, but there will be a full public consultation before any decisions are taken on future cuts."