Dudley Council plans inflation-busting increases in fees
Dudley Council is planning an inflation-busting series of hikes in fees as it battles to balance its books.
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The authority has a legal obligation to set a budget where its spending is not likely to be more than it can afford and with a £46m shortfall to contend with service users will be asked to dig deep in the coming financial year.
The UK inflation (CPI) is hovering at around 2.6 percent but planned rises in rates of council charges for the 2025/26 financial year look set to be much greater.
Leisure centre users can expect to be paying more, especially young people where fees for juniors look set to be brought into line with adult charges.
A youngster who fancies a game of badminton at a council-run centre during peak times will be served with a 130 percent increase from £6.50 to £15 while off-peak charges could increase by 128 percent, from £5.25 to £12.
Junior squash and gym joining fees are also set for rises of more than 100 per cent.
Adults will also be paying more, among the proposed increases is a 15.4 percent hike in the fee for a swimming session from £5.20 to £6 while fitness classes could go up by 14.3 percent from £7 to £8.
Waste collection fees are also in line for higher than inflation increases, garden waste collection is forecast to rise by 8.3 percent from £36 to £39 per year while special waste collections or collection of white goods will rise from between 4.5 percent and 10 percent.
Entertaining at Dudley borough halls will come at a higher cost, community hire for the main hall at Dudley Town Hall could be hiked by 10 per cent which means at weekends it would rise to £990 while room hire at Stourbridge Town Hall on Saturday or Sunday could go up by 11 percent from £72 to £80.
Dudley Council’s leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, believes tough measures will balance the books for the next five years and put the council’s finances on an even keel.
He said: “We have a bit of breathing space and, when we can, look to reinvest in frontline services that for years have been cut back.
“That is not a lot of comfort for someone who thinks ‘this has gone up, that’s gone up, how am I going to afford it?’ but we have to be a leaner, more efficient authority.”
The council’s budget proposals will be discussed at a series of scrutiny meetings starting on January 20 before full council votes to set the budget on February 24.
