CHESTER residents look set to face a 2.5 per cent rise in council tax next year.
Proposals set out by Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) will see Band D taxpayers paying an extra £30.55 per year, with their current bill of £1,224.04 rising to £1,254.59.
The recommendations from Julie Gill, director of resources, will be considered by the council’s executive tomorrow and then go before a budget council meeting on February 25, where a final decision will be made.
Finance executive Cllr Les Ford, said: “I’m delighted that 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.” He added: “We are, however, ever more determined to create a council that serves all its people in the way they would want.”
The authority aims to spend more than £746 million on services during the year, but CWaC say they need to find a further £30 million in efficiency savings over the next three years to meet the Government’s widely predicted public spending cuts.
In order to balance the 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 has proposed to cut a total of £6,941million from service budgets while avoiding cuts to front line services.
Government Formula Grant for 2010-2011 totalled £93,482 million, an increase of 2.06 per cent on 2009-2010 figures, but almost one per cent less than the average for English Unitary Authorities and lower t han the rise for English councils.
Budget recommendations also include a 2.7 per cent increase in council house rents, to meet the recommendations of the Government’s national rent restructuring policy, a decision consulted on with the community housing panel.
The decisions of the executive will be considered at budget council on February 25.