Council tax to rise in bid to balance books
HALTON will raise taxes and cut another £4m from its budget this year as the council fights to get its finances under control.
Cllr Mike Wharton, the borough’s finance chief, said he had ‘no choice’ but to implement yet more cuts as he presented the council’s budget for approval last Wednesday.
He told councillors: “Unfortunately, we once again have to propose significant budget reductions, due to the extremely challenging financial position, which this Government has put us in over the past ten years.”
Since 2010, Halton has had to cut £53m from its budget and expects to slash another £27.4m of spending over the next three years.
Among the £4.2m of savings planned for 2020-21 are cuts to children’s centres, stationery budgets and fireworks.
Children will also be expected to pay more for snacks and unhealthy lunch options at the borough’s schools.
Cllr Wharton said: “Most of the items on the list are things we would not have wanted to consider, but given the financial position, which this Government has put us in, we now have very little choice.
“All of the services we provide for our borough are highly valued and many are essential to the wellbeing of our residents. It is therefore extremely difficult to identify which services we can reduce or stop providing.”
Alongside the cuts, the council approved a 3.99% rise in Council Tax, which will see most Halton residents pay another £40 a year.
Cllr Wharton said: “Whilst we recognise the additional burden this will place upon our residents, this government has given us no choice if we are to continue to deliver the essential services which the most vulnerable members of our community require.”
Councillors approved the budget unanimously, with Lib Dem leader Margaret Ratcliffe the only other speaker.
Cllr Ratcliffe praised the work that went into producing the budget, saying she recognised that ‘difficult decisions’ had been required.
Despite the cuts planned for the coming year, Halton remains in serious financial difficulty.
The borough still forecasts a budget shortfall of around £5m this year as the cost of adult social care and children’s services continues to rise.
This would all but wipe out its remaining reserves and could require even more cuts.