5.99% rise in council tax is put to chiefs
SEFTON may raise council tax by 5.99% – the maximum allowed without calling a referendum – in order to avoid a budget shortfall for 2018/19.
The full council will meet to debate the budget on March 1, where councillors will have to agree on variety of measures to cut costs and increase revenue.
The council has been forced to continually make considerable savings as a result of government cuts and still potentially faces a multimillion shortfall in next year’s budget.
The council’s overview and scutiny committee was presented with the proposals for the 2018/19 changes at Bootle Town Hall on Tuesday, as well as an update on how this year’s budget is being achieved.
Among the range of measures proposes to balance the budget are rises to burial costs, with the cost of a full-sized grave to increase to £1,085 for residents and more than £2,000 for non-residents.
Meanwhile, entry to Splashworld will rise to £11.50 for two hours or £17.10 for a full day, while costs for a family of five will rise to £45 for two hours or £55 for all day.
The documents also reveal that soccer pitch hire for the new facility at Splash World will be £48 for adults after 5pm and £36 for juniors. Hire before then will be £18.
According to Stephan Van Arendsen, the council’s head of corporate resources who presented the budget to the committee, Sefton is on course to stay within budget this financial year but this remains at risk of three factors – adult social care; child social care; and weather.
The council had the budget for 11 overnight gritting jobs, he said, but any more than that will cost £50,000, while the cost of social care was described as a “major challenge” to authorities all over the country.
As such, the costs of social care will have to be closely monitored through the year.
Although councils have been permitted to add 3% to council tax specifically for social care, critics have repeatedly argued that this amount is not enough to cover how much is actually needed.
Among the plans discussed in the committee’s report was for Sefton to create its own house development company, both to tackle the need for homes and create additional revenue.
This has not been costed into this year’s plans.
The plans proposed for next year are based on council tax remaining at the current levels but would still result in a shortfall in funds of £7.1m next year.
However, the report states that a 5.99% rise would mean the budget gap is met, though this decision can only be made by councillors.