Coventry councillors agree on tax increase and service cuts from April
Council tax will rise by almost 5% in many local authorities.
Coventry residents will face a 4.9% rise in council tax and cuts to some services this year, following a meeting with City Councillors.
During a budget setting meeting yesterday (20 February), proposals to plug a £20m gap in the Labour-run Council’s finances were approved.
Plans also include charges on brown bins, cuts to overnight street lighting and school bus routes.
Cabinet Member for Finance Cllr Richard Brown said: "I recognise this is a challenging time for the people of this city and the proposal to increase council tax has not been made lightly.
"The government’s funding package and its increase in core spending power relies on councils to provide a significant part of new funding through an increase in council tax by the maximum permitted 5%.
"With the cards dealt to us, I think we’ve found the right balance in this budget, and would remind colleagues that were we not to increase council tax the lost revenue would need to be found from even higher savings within services.
"This would not just affect our service to residents next year but for every year after that, reflecting a permanent reduction in the council tax base and ongoing sustainability."
Coventry’s Conservative group leader Cllr Gary Ridley said the party would be supporting the rise in council tax, though it did not support the overall budget.
Opposition parties disagree with plans to stop the funding for five school bus services to save £128,000 this year.
The bus routes serve about 400 children who attend Bishop Ullathorne and Blue Coat School.
Cllr Gary Ridley said: "We have recognised this has been a tough year. And I can honestly say, sitting down with officers to find alternatives for this has been challenging.
"There are lots of cuts in this budget that are not pleasant. Switching off lights is not pleasant, charging for brown bins is not pleasant. But there is a reason why we haven’t gone for those today - we couldn’t find sufficient funds to go near the lights. But one thing we can do it save these buses for another 12 months."
He added: "The budget we’re approving today is £277m – £128k off that is nothing."
Coventry City Council has previously warned it is at risk of bankruptcy, similarly to other local authorities - a statement which they have defended in yesterday's meeting.
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