40 council posts at risk as 5.98% council tax rise proposed

UP to 40 council posts could be axed at Warrington in the coming year as the authority struggles to make savings of £15.5 million imposed by central government.
This is despite a proposed increase in Council Tax of 5.98 per cent bringing the average cost of a Band D property to an estimated £1,665.42, including police, fire and rescue and parish council precepts.
The police and fire service precepts are expected to rise by 1.99 per cent each.
Town Hall chiefs will be asked to approve the increases at a meeting of the council’s executive board next Monday (February 12) following consideration of a report by corporate finance chief Cllr Russ Bowden, who has been working closely with chief finance officer Lynton Green and the leader and deputy leader of the council for the last six months to formulate the 2018-19 budget.
The council has already made savings of £20.5m and £8.8m in 2016-17 and 2017-18 but has to make additional savings of £38m over the next four years.
Cllr Bowden’s report says the council will work closely with staff and the trade unions to reduce the need for compulsory redundancies.
Although it is difficult to confirm the exact staffing impact in the coming year, it is estimated that the proposal will lead to a maximum reduction of 40 posts, with the deletion of vacant posts and approval of voluntary redundancies keeping the need for compulsory redundancies to a minimum.
The council recognises that as council budgets shrink, the role of local communities and partners play will become more important.
“We want to do more to harness this capacity and to work together to mitigate of government cuts. That is why we are continuing to support the borough wide ‘Count Me In’ campaign that encourages everyone to ‘do their bit’ – be that recycling more, supporting family and neighbours or just being a little more active.
“We welcome feedback from our communities on how best we can work together to ensure we continue to protect the most vulnerable.”
Included in the Council Tax are individual precepts fixed by parish councils as follows (per Band D property): Appleton: £28.75; Birchwood: £101.54; Burtonwood and Westbrook: £23.84; Croft: £75.63; Culcheth and Glazebury: £31.43; Grappenhall and Thelwall: £38.67; Great Sankey: £34.51; Hatton: £15.55; Lymm: £34.14; Penketh: £67.92; Poulton with Fearnhead: £21.70; Rixton with Glazebrook: £31.60; Stockton Heath: £48; Stretton: £23.56; Walton: £10.63; Winwick: £62.82; Woolston: £8.61.