South Gloucestershire set for tax rise

Council tax for South Gloucestershire residents is set to rise by 4.99 per cent again from April.

The local authority has announced the proposed increase – the maximum allowed without a local referendum – in its draft annual budget and has launched eight weeks of public consultation to get people’s views.

It says the government assumes council tax will go up by this amount each year, with every one per cent hike bringing in about £1.9million of extra funding for local services, while a lower rise would mean South Gloucestershire Council having to make more cuts.

The organisation says the consultation sets out the impacts of continued underfunding of local authorities across the country as costs and demand for some of the most expensive services, such as social care, are soaring.

It includes a range of measures needed to balance the books in 2026/27 and beyond, following £90million of savings over the past decade.

Many of these will be behind the scenes, continuing the ongoing work for the council to become more efficient, although some others will be more noticeable for staff and residents as the authority is forced to focus on the services it is legally required to deliver.

One main strand is that the council intends to invest in earlier interventions to reduce costs and the need for more intensive help to manage health and developmental issues further down the line.

To tackle “rapid increases” in costs to transport youngsters with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) to school, the council would improve existing facilities in local mainstream schools for pupils with less complex needs while expanding services for both pre-schoolers and post-16 students.

Other cash-saving proposals are to outsource expensive residential care to external providers and increase extra-care housing and supported living accommodation to help people with additional needs continue living independently.

South Gloucestershire Council leader Cllr Maggie Tyrell (Lib Dem, Thornbury) said: “I want to encourage everyone to take part in this process if they can, from all areas, backgrounds and at whatever stage of life you are at.

“We have set out how the current difficulty and uncertainty about the funding we receive, and the surging demand for some of the most expensive services that people rely on, is affecting the council.

“This consultation is a really important way for you to let us know how you’re being affected, and how any changes we make in the future might affect you too.

“Wherever we can, we want to work together, with individuals, communities and partners to find ways to reduce the impact of needing to make cuts to spending.

“Local people’s input will help us do that.”

Council co-leader Cllr Ian Boulton (Labour, Staple Hill & Mangotsfield) said: “The choices open to us are limited, with difficult decisions to make.

“But we want this consultation to be useful and meaningful.

“We’ve set out where our money comes from and where it has to be spent.

“The services and support we provide makes a positive impact on so many, and we want to hear from the people who use those services, and from residents from all walks of life who help fund them, about how we can continue to do that.”

The consultation runs until Sunday, December 21 and is here: www.southglos.gov.uk/budget

Full council will agree the final proposals in February.