10p a week council tax increase approved for West Suffolk

A council tax increase of around ten pence a week for West Suffolk residents has been approved.

West Suffolk Council voted in favour of the budget for 2023 to 2024 yesterday, which included the council tax rise.

Band D residents will pay just under ten pence a week more from April and other bands will be adjusted accordingly.

This rise is around 0.3 percent lower than the council tax increase of 2.99 percent allowed by government.

Cllr John Griffiths, leader of West Suffolk Council, said: “We have achieved a two-year balanced budget while sticking to the council tax plans we agreed last year, rather than suggesting the higher rise encouraged by the government.

“While the cost-of-living crisis and rising costs impact our own services, we’ve made extra provision to help residents – with the changed local council tax reduction scheme and investment in keeping leisure centres and pools open when many other councils are closing theirs.

“This is a budget that many councils across the UK envy in these financially challenging times.”

In December 2022, the council agreed to allow local council tax reduction scheme claimants who are eligible for the maximum reduction to pay no council tax.

This 100 percent maximum council tax reduction will replace the current 91.5 percent a year from April.

Every district and borough council in Suffolk except for East Suffolk Council plans to introduce this temporary total council tax reduction for those worst off financially.

The financial forecast for the upcoming years shows balanced budgets for next year and 2024/25, followed by deficits.

The gap in 2025/26 is estimated to be £2.67 million and forecasts for the following year show a £3.69 million gap.

Cllr Sarah Broughton, deputy leader and portfolio holder for resources and property for West Suffolk, said: “Not only have we continued to provide high quality services to meet the increasing demand, but we are investing heavily in economic growth.

“We are also investing the health of our community through parks and leisure facilities and will continue the £9 million package of measures to reach carbon neutral by 2030.

“Our historic financial decisions have held us in good stead. Additional income has been generated by our investments, solar generation and housing developer.

“We have a superb track record in attracting government funding and helping businesses and communities access it – with £110 million being invested in West Suffolk in the last four years.”

The budget includes £300,000 to ensure pools stay open despite rising utility and energy costs.

It also commits £40 million for a replacement of Bury St Edmunds leisure centre at the planned Western Way hub.

However, the Labour group was unsure that the hub planned for Bury St Edmunds was the right use of taxpayers’ money.

Labour group leader Cllr Diane Hind said: “The budget plans show deficits of £2.7 million and £3.7 million in 2025/26 and 2026/27.

“The spend on Western Way could stop other projects that might become necessary. For example, we could have a home insulation programme.

“The budget forecast shows that capital spending is frontloaded on the first three years.

“We are very concerned because we’ve had a pandemic, a war, an energy crisis and rampant inflation.

“Surely, we need to plan for similar events and perhaps not spend such large sums on something that will never be the focal point originally planned.

“The great plans originally included theatre space, NHS and GP provision – all of which did not come to fruition.”

Last December, West Suffolk Council approved the business case for the first stage of Western Way including the leisure centre, but the expected health facilities were not included as the NHS decided it needed more time to finish its business case.

Cllr Hind voted against the budget, along with Labour councillors Patrick Hanlon and David Smith. Independents Jason Crooks, Victor Lukaniuk, Andrew Neal, Don Waldron and Phil Wittam also voted against. Every other councillor voted in favour.

Cllr Broughton said in response to criticism of the Western Way plans: “We’re not here to discuss the business case for Western Way – we’ve done that before.

“A refurbishment costs about £25 million and that would come to a huge amount more in the long term.”

According to the officers’ report on the Western Way business case, refurbishing the existing leisure centre to the minimum level would initially cost £13 million and the 40-year cost of this option would be nearly £63 million. This would include a rebuild after 20 years.

The initial cost of the Western Way centre would be much higher at £40 million, with an extra £10 million expected to be spent on renewable energy to move the centre off the grid for most of the year. However, the 40-year cost is expected to be lower at just over £58 million.

Alongside investment in leisure centres and pools, the budget commits £240,000 for the waste and grounds maintenance team, £513,000 for community group funding, and £1.3 million across the next five years for open spaces, parks and attractions.

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