WARRINGTON Borough Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Finance Cllr Cathy Mitchell says the Labour-controlled council was “left with no choice” but to increase council tax by 4.98 per cent following Tory cuts of more than £200m.
At last night’s annual budget-setting meeting, she says councillors had an “honest and frank debate” on the current inflationary and service pressures faced by the local authority, with the majority of councillors voting in favour of passing the budget, including all Labour councillors and all Liberal democrats.
The Council’s annual budget was set at £183 million with more than 70%, equivalent to £128 million, dedicated to vulnerable adult’s and children’s services.
Warrington Borough Council has faced more than £200 million in cuts under the past 13 years of Conservative governments and is expected to make another £13.4 million in cuts in the next financial year.
The amount residents pay in local taxes is made up of individual parts including; Council Tax set by Warrington Borough Council, Government Adult Social Care contributions, the Police and Crime Commissioner Precept and the Fire and Rescue Precept.
Council Tax is rising by 2.98%, while the Government Adult Social Care precept is increasing by 2%. The largest rise is the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner Precept, which is rising by 6.4%.
Cllr Mitchell says that thanks to the Council’s successful investment portfolio, which primarily delivers policy objectives and brought in a surplus of £23.5 million, the Council has been able to keep Council Tax rises lower than if they didn’t have the investments.
With the most recent RPI inflation figure at 13.4%, the rise in Council Tax set by Warrington Borough Council is significantly lower than inflation.
Council Tax amounts vary across the town depending on the value of your home. It is used to fund local services including support for vulnerable adults and children, waste disposal, street lighting, parks and highways maintenance.
Cllr. Mitchell said: “We were left with no choice but to increase council tax by 2.98% and adult social care by 2%.
“We know times are tough. We are all feeling the bite of inflation and the rising cost of living. But if we didn’t act, we simply wouldn’t have the money we need to continue protecting our vital frontline services.
“In Warrington more than 70% of everything we spend goes towards services for vulnerable adults and children. That’s 70p in every pound we get, going directly to supporting our most vulnerable residents.
“This wasn’t an easy choice for us.
“Council tax is regressive, with those who have least the paying a much larger percentage of their income. The Government’s system isn’t fit for purpose.
“The Tories have cut more than £200 million from our budget. This year they are forcing us to make another £13.4 million in cuts, think of how much good we could do with that money. How many more services we could run.
“Thankfully, our investments made more than £23 million income surplus last year, that’s money which is going directly back into our revenue budget to fund vital services that we would otherwise have had to cut.
“For people who are on low incomes we have our own Warrington Council Tax Support Scheme after the Tory Government abolished their support in 2013.
“We understand how important it is to support our most vulnerable residents. If anyone is in need of support with their Council Tax payments, or is struggling with the rising cost of living, please reach out and visit www.warrington.gov.uk/cost-living-support for help.”
Meanwhile, Cllr Mitchell says the council’s investments are continuing to perform well.
She said: “The investments we make are mostly low risk, we don’t gamble on the stock market or invest in Chinese real estate.
“Our investments are performing well; we are delivering on our policy objectives and as a secondary benefit we also generate an income that supports vital services here in Warrington.
“Without our investments we would have had to make another £23.5 million in cuts a shocking £37.4 combined just this year alone. That would have been impossible.
“Without our investments, vulnerable families and services would be at risk in Warrington.
“The Tories want to get rid of our investments and claimed in the last election they would freeze council tax. What public services would they cut to do this? We don’t have a magic money tree.
“The Tories are out of touch and out of ideas.
“Making financial promises they can’t keep and gambling on the lives of ordinary hard-working families here in Warrington just like Liz Truss did.
“The Tories are a record stuck on repeat, they have no vision and no plan for Warrington. They want to take us back to the stone age and hollow out whatever is left of our key public services.
Long night presenting the Council's budget on behalf of the administration. Advice to Conservatives: if you think you can do a better budget, do an alternative one. And don't forget that it's your party that has cut public sector funding to the bone ..
— Cathy Mitchell (@CllrCathyMitch) February 27, 2023
