The council tax bands payable after 4.99 per cent increase
residents are facing a 4.99 per cent rise in their council tax from April.
The rise is the maximum government allows councils to levy without a local referendum. Two per cent is ringfenced for social care.
Standard property valuation bands will pay as follows: Band A, £1,449.48; Band B, £1,691.04; Band C, £1,932.63; Band D, £2,174.21; Band E, £2,657.36; Band F, £3,140.51; Band G, £3,623.68; Band H, £4,348.42.
The council will still need to make savings to balance it books and these will include finding someone else to take over the running of the Shay Stadium.
Some wriggle room created by the council’s financial settlement from government mean a decision to close Elland waste and recycling centre can be deferred for a year to see what impact a new permit scheme for all Calderdale’s centres has in reducing running costs.
Recognising difficulties faced by families with children who have special educational needs, no cuts need to be made this year for SEND wraparound and holiday child care.
While some youth services will still bear cuts, the level of these to the targeted youth work team and Youth Justice Service team have been reduced, said deputy leader of the council, Coun Tim Swift, presenting the budget case.
Conservative leader Coun Steven Leigh (Ryburn), proposing his group’s budget as an alternative, was particularly concerned about the amounts Labour was intending to borrow, for example £35 million towards paying for £52 million Local Plan infrastructure around potential new homes.
“The ambition we’ve got at the moment is to prevent you lot from putting this council into bankruptcy – you’re so profligate with your spending and borrowing,” he said.
While acknowledging the challenging situation and times, Coun Leigh said his group’s proposals included growth in the form of investment in more business improvement districts (BIDs) in Calderdale and removing extra hours parking charges introduced at some car parks, to support the evening economy.
The party would also retain the council’s role in running The Shay. These would be paid for by reducing the council’s staff by two per cent, he said.
Coun Silvia Dacre (Lab, Todmorden) said the Conservatives’ proposal did not say where those staff reductions, which councillors including Coun Sarah Courtney (Lab, Calder) and Coun Abigail Carr (Lib Dem, Warley) were concerned might worsCalderdale en operation of some services, would come from and called them “cloud cuckoo land” proposals which were not being honest with residents.
The Green Party proposed an amended budget which would provide seed funding to drive forward partnership tackling of climate emergency issues, proposing to pay for this by removing the subsidy given to Halifax’s Piece Hall Trust.
Coun Martin Hey (Green, Northowram and Shelf) said: “It seems to us the subsidy needs to wind down over time – it’s all about priorities, isn’t it?”
Both alternative budgets were rejected by a majority of councillors.