LEADERS of Cheshire West and Chester Council say they look set to honour their pledge to council taxpayers by recommending an increase for 2010-11 which does not exceed the current rate of inflation.
A report to next Wednesday’s executive by director of resources Julie Gill advocates an increase of 2.5 per cent - an average weekly rise of 49p per household over the eight council tax bands.
If agreed the increase would bring the annual bill for the average Band D property in West Cheshire, to £1,254.59 - a weekly increase of 59p.
Cllr Les Ford, executive member for finance, said: “I’m delighted we have been able to keep our promise to the people of west Cheshire, despite the worst financial climate this country has seen in decades.
“Against this precarious background, the council has been re-structured; over £35m of savings have already been made and we are looking for almost the same amount again.”
Tory Cllr Ford, deputy council leader, added: “The future will not be easy and there will be difficult decisions ahead. We are, however, ever more determined to create a council that serves all its people in the way they would want.
The budget report highlights the “particularly difficult financial scenario” facing a council which has to deal with a rising demand for its services and falling opportunities to recover costs.
The local authority will spend more than £746 million on services during the year but needs to find a further £30m in efficiency savings over the next three years to meet the Government’s widely predicted public spending cuts.
To balance these financial pressures with the need to limit council tax rises, it is re-thinking operational strategies and targeting resources where they will have the most impact.
To help meet this demand for savings it is proposed to cut a total of £6.941m from service budgets but avoiding cuts to front line services.
Government Formula Grant for 2010-2011 totalled £93.482m - an increase of 2.06 per cent on 2009-10 figures - but almost one per cent less than the average for English Unitary Authorities and lower than the rise for English councils (2.65 per cent).
And whilst there is yet no indication on the level of Government funding expected for 2011-12 - the first year of a new Comprehensive Spending Review and following a General Election - a “prudent estimate” of a 10 per cent decrease has been built into the projected grant settlements for both 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Budget recommendations also include a 2.7 per cent increase in council house rents.