Dorset residents facing maximum increase in council tax
Dorset Council wants to put rates up to protect frontline services
Dorset residents are set, once again, to face the maximum increase in council tax allowable – by just under 5per cent from April.
The county already has one of the highest council tax rates in the country.
If the budget is approved it will mean Band D properties paying just over £2,000 a year, for the first time.
Dorset Council say the increase is needed to protect essential frontline services from budget cuts.
In a news release the authority say the proposal from the controlling Conservative group will add just under 3 per cent to the basic council tax, together with a 2 per cent levy for adult social care.
The council say that for those living in Band D properties this would add the equivalent of £1.82 per week – although figures from the Police, Fire and Rescue and Town and Parish councils will also have to be added to this increase.
With majority control it is expected that the Conservative group will be able to achieve the increase it wants – although the proposed rise will be debated by a two scrutiny committees and the Cabinet before reaching full council for a final decision in February.
Opposition councillors have been expressing concerns in recent meetings about the council finances, in particular over diminishing reserve funding but none of the groups has produced a set of alternative budget proposals.
A recent financial report predicted a potential £12m shortfall by the end of the financial year, unless further savings can be made.
A report to Cabinet said that to avoid significant over-spending departments will be asked to find further savings within the coming months to minimise the use of reserve funds.
Corporate director for finance and commercial activities Sean Cremer told the meeting: “The operating environment for Local Authorities across the UK remains challenging given the ongoing impact through the recovery phase of the pandemic as well as international conflict driving inflation. These external factors are bringing pressure to bear through increased demand, rising costs and reducing funding. As a result effective control and monitoring of activities and budgets has never been more important.”
His report outlined that £225.5million, or 64per cent, of the council’s service budget of £353.7m is spend by the adult and housing and children’s directorates.
Almost every area of council activity is now predicting an overspend with the only underspends expected to come from areas where staff vacancies have not been filled.
Dorset Council’s statement this week on the coming financial year says the proposals will see “essential frontline services continuing to be provided to residents and businesses, and protected from cuts.”
The statement makes no mention of other, non-statutory services, and whether of not the same protection from cuts will be extended to those areas.
Said the council statement: “The proposed budget means that in the coming year the council will spend £376m on its residents, an 8 per cent increase in funding for essential services. Around 60 per cent of the budget will support vulnerable children, families, older people and those with disabilities. In total, Dorset Council provides around 450 different services to just under 380,000 residents, including adults and children’s social care, road maintenance, waste collection, housing support and libraries.”
Cllr Gary Suttle, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Finance, Commercial and Capital Strategy, said: “We have carefully developed proposals to deliver a balanced budget, in a national context of significant financial challenge for councils. Our overriding aim is to protect the essential frontline council services on which local residents and businesses rely.
“Throughout the life of this administration, and in contrast with a number of councils across the country, we have set a balanced budget every year with no cuts to frontline services.”