Residents in Warwickshire facing inflation-busting council tax rise

A 3.99 per cent increase in Warwickshire County Council’s share of council tax is on its way after the authority approved its budget on Tuesday.

The policies are part of the Conservative-run council’s 2020-21 budget and 2020-2025 council plan.

Of the 3.99 per cent increase, 2 per cent will be ringfenced for adult social care.

The remaining 1.99 per cent of the rise is for increases in the rest of the council’s budget.

The rise equates to £57.20 a year extra for the average Band D property.

At the same time, the county council plans cuts that they say will save them £6.2m from 2020-21. And from 2020-2025 £27.1m of cuts will be made.

Adult Services and Children’s Services will get an extra £33 million funding over the next five years, while a £4m ‘Climate Change Fund’ has been announced after all councils in the county declared a Climate Emergency.

Other rises to be included in overall council tax bills include an extra £10 a year for the police and, potentially, £5 extra a year for Warwick District Council – the latter to be decided on February 26.

As well as this, Warwick District Council is also holding a referendum in May to create a 'Climate Change Fund' which, if approved, would see those living in a Band D property pay an extra £1 a week - adding to £52 a year.

This would then create a £3million fund for the council.

Leader of Warwickshire County Council, Cllr Isobel Seccombe said: “You will see that the county council’s share of council tax has risen by 3.99 per cent.

"This comprises a basic 1.99 per cent rise as well as an additional 2 per cent increase that the government allows us to levy in order to help us to fund social care.

"Like many councils, we have taken the government’s option. Council Tax for a Band D property in 2020/21 will increase by £1.09 per week on last year’s bill.

“We do not like to increase the amount that our residents have to pay but it is necessary if we are to continue not only to care for the people living in Warwickshire but also to make sure that the county continues to move forward and be a great place to live and to do business.”

A spokesperson for the county council added: “We need to look at transport for the future, flood defence and prevention and working with community groups by providing trees where needed.

“We want to protect Warwickshire residents from the risk of flooding that we have seen over the last winter by investing in gully cleaning and flood alleviation projects.”

Investing in infrastructure for charging electric vehicles is also among the plans.

Redundancies in council staff are also planned – the county council has been asked for comment on the number of staff set to face redundancy.

Cllr Jerry Roodhouse Lib Dem group leader said: “We believe that in broad terms the council’s priorities are going in the right direction.

“However the Liberal Democrat group is concerned that they need to be more specific such as on climate change and should be more in line with the Committee on Climate Change, likewise on child poverty – Tories scrapped the last strategy – we know the pressures and gaps are increasing and more needs to be done and lastly we need to start rethinking our local economy and look towards a more circular reduce/reuse model.”

A spokesperson for the Labour group took issue with the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives for not backing their motion to call for the county council to become ‘carbon neutral’ by 2025 and for the county as a whole to do the same by 2030.

Cllr Richard Chattaway, leader of the Labour group, said he is ‘very disappointed’ that the carbon neutral targets were not supported.

The Green Party group called for more investment for sustainable transport and skills training.