Wakefield Council to hike bills and cut up to 270 jobs in bid to balance books
The measures are designed to make £29m of savings
Council tax bills in Wakefield look set to increase by a maximum 4.99% and up to 270 jobs could be axed under budget proposals.
The measures are designed to make £29m of savings as Wakefield Council faces a budget shortfall of more than £35m over the next financial year.
A report said the Labour-run authority’s long-term financial position beyond March 2026 “remains uncertain and challenging”.
Cabinet members are expected to agree a report outlining a raft of financial measures at a meeting on January 21.
They include raising £9.1m by increasing council tax by 2.99% and the adult social care levy by 2%.
It equates to an extra £1.65p per week for Band D households and £1.10p per week for Band A households.
Council leader Denise Jeffery said the rise was needed to protect front-line services.
The increase is likely to mean Wakefield continues to have the second lowest council tax rates out of West Yorkshire’s five local authorities.
Coun Jeffery said: “We have a new government with a new approach.
“They’ve made some welcome early steps to support local public services.
“But, with such a dire inheritance, it’s going to take time to fix the foundations of our economy.
“Like councils across the country, we’re still dealing with a legacy of years of underfunding.
“The impact of inflation on our budget. And with increasing demand for our services. That can’t be sorted out overnight.
“It means that we’re having to make some tough decisions in our budget this year to enable us to move forward with confidence.
“As we do that, we’re placing community feedback about local priorities at the heart of our plans.
“The budget strikes the right balance. Protecting frontline services. Taking responsible steps to balance our budget. And setting up the council to be sustainable into the future so that we can continue to deliver for our communities.”
The council said last month that “potential staffing reductions” of up to 236 full-time posts could be made.
But the latest report said 270 full-time roles could be lost if the proposals are fully implemented.
Unions and workers’ representative have already been issued with a Section 188 notice by the council.
Employers are obliged to issue a notice if they are considering large-scale job-losses.
According to the document, 138 people had expressed an interest in voluntary redundancy, equivalent to 92 full-time roles.
It added: “The council will continue to explore all options in respect of delivering these savings over the coming weeks to minimise the likelihood of compulsory redundancies as far as is reasonably practicable.”
Other proposed savings include reducing library and museum opening hours.
The frequency of garden waste collections could also be reduced to once a month.
The council has forecast a budget deficit of £88m for the next five years.
Local authorities are legally obliged to deliver a balanced budget.
The 2025/26 proposals include saving £2.5m by improving how the council manages commissioning and contracting arrangements.
Changes planned to adult social care services are expected to generate a saving of £3.9m and a reduction in the use of hotels to house homeless people could save around £1m.
The council also plans to reduce spending on external children’s social care placements by having more in-house provision to save £1.4m.
A review of property and facilities management arrangements is expected to save £2m.
A further £3.8m of savings is expected through “technology and digital transformation.”
Around £1.9m could be raised by increasing the fees and charges for some council services.
Council deputy leader Jack Hemingway said: “We’ve listened carefully to feedback from the public in developing these proposals.
“It’s clear that our communities highly value the front-line services they use every day.
“So we’ve done everything we can to protect those services as much as we can in these plans.
“We’re also working hard to be more efficient. To modernise how we work. And to get the best possible value for money in everything we do.
“But we know that some of the decisions are still difficult and will mean changes for residents.”
A public consultation on the proposals is open until January 31.
Final proposals will be reported to cabinet in February after feedback has been considered.
The budget will then be put before a full council meeting for formal approval on March 3.