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Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local authority approves almost 5% tax increase
A rise in council tax of just under 5% has been approved as part of Wakefield Council's budget for the next financial year. The authority is looking to balance its books as it faces a funding shortfall of more than £39m for the next financial year and around £88m over the next five years. The council tax rise of 4.99% would bring in an additional sum of just over £9m, representing a rise of £1.65 per week for Band D households and £1.10 per week for a Band A property. Council leader Denise Jeffery said: "We've taken responsible decisions to build a positive, long-term future for our district." The council tax rise is the maximum allowed without having to hold a referendum and will affect households from the beginning of April. Jeffery said the budget was "underpinned by what our residents want" and protected "our frontline services". They included maintaining roads and emptying bins, creating safer communities, caring for the borough's most vulnerable residents and "giving our young people the best possible start in life", she said. The budget was approved at a meeting of the full council held on Monday, with the £29m of savings including: Saving £3.8m through use of technology and digital transformation Changing organisational and business support services to save £2.4m Saving £2.5m by improving commissioning and contract management Changing the way some adult social care services work to save £3.9m Saving over £1m by reducing the use of hotels for homelessness provision Deputy leader Jack Hemingway said the budget will allow the Labour-led authority "to be more sustainable in the long-term". "The work doesn't stop now our budget is approved," he said. "We'll be continuing to get the best possible value for money in everything we do by working hard to be more efficient and modernise how we work." Criticising the authority's council tax rise, Conservative and Independent group leader Nadeem Ahmed said: "I don't think that local councils, whatever party they are, should be adding to the burden of people who are already struggling." He said that people had enough to contend with as they faced rises in household costs, adding: "I just don't think people can afford it any more." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here. Council finance row over £88m budget deficit Civic centre to be sold to help balance books Council could axe 270 jobs and raise tax by 4.99% Wakefield Metropolitan District Council
BBC News
03-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wakefield Council approves tax increase of almost 5%
A rise in council tax of just under 5% has been approved as part of Wakefield Council's budget for the next financial authority is looking to balance its books as it faces a funding shortfall of more than £39m for the next financial year and around £88m over the next five council tax rise of 4.99% would bring in an additional sum of just over £9m, representing a rise of £1.65 per week for Band D households and £1.10 per week for a Band A leader Denise Jeffery said: "We've taken responsible decisions to build a positive, long-term future for our district." The council tax rise is the maximum allowed without having to hold a referendum and will affect households from the beginning of April. Jeffery said the budget was "underpinned by what our residents want" and protected "our frontline services".They included maintaining roads and emptying bins, creating safer communities, caring for the borough's most vulnerable residents and "giving our young people the best possible start in life", she said. The budget was approved at a meeting of the full council held on Monday, with the £29m of savings including:Saving £3.8m through use of technology and digital transformationChanging organisational and business support services to save £2.4mSaving £2.5m by improving commissioning and contract managementChanging the way some adult social care services work to save £3.9mSaving over £1m by reducing the use of hotels for homelessness provision Deputy leader Jack Hemingway said the budget will allow the Labour-led authority "to be more sustainable in the long-term"."The work doesn't stop now our budget is approved," he said. "We'll be continuing to get the best possible value for money in everything we do by working hard to be more efficient and modernise how we work."Criticising the authority's council tax rise, Conservative and Independent group leader Nadeem Ahmed said: "I don't think that local councils, whatever party they are, should be adding to the burden of people who are already struggling."He said that people had enough to contend with as they faced rises in household costs, adding: "I just don't think people can afford it any more." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council to cut 400 jobs and raise tax by 4.99%
Council tax bills in East Yorkshire will rise by nearly 5% this year. The rise consists of 2.99% for general services and 2% for adult social services and is the highest increase allowed before needing a public vote. Plans also include reducing the council's workforce by 400 posts over the next two years. The job cuts aim to save the authority up to £12m a year. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Conservative and Independent coalition was backed by Yorkshire Party councillors in supporting the budget, which passed by 37 votes to five, with 16 councillors abstaining. The cabinet member for finance, Nigel Wilkinson, told the meeting the reduction in workers would be achieved by "natural attrition, a reduction of management layers, redeployment and voluntary redundancies" with £6.6m put aside to pay for the job cuts. Other spending items include £21m for the Jocks Lodge road improvement scheme, £18m for the Howden Link Road and more than £12m for vehicle purchases. Liberal Democrat councillor Denis Healy described the budget as being "untenable, flimsy, and most likely unachievable". Labour and Reform UK groups in the council either rejected the budget or abstained from the vote. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. East Riding of Yorkshire Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
07-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
East Riding Council to cut 400 jobs and raise tax by 4.99%
Council tax bills in East Yorkshire will rise by nearly 5% this rise consists of 2.99% for general services and 2% for adult social services and is the highest increase allowed before needing a public also include reducing the council's workforce by 400 posts over the next two job cuts aim to save the authority up to £12m a year. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Conservative and Independent coalition was backed by Yorkshire Party councillors in supporting the budget, which passed by 37 votes to five, with 16 councillors cabinet member for finance, Nigel Wilkinson, told the meeting the reduction in workers would be achieved by "natural attrition, a reduction of management layers, redeployment and voluntary redundancies" with £6.6m put aside to pay for the job spending items include £21m for the Jocks Lodge road improvement scheme, £18m for the Howden Link Road and more than £12m for vehicle purchases. Liberal Democrat councillor Denis Healy described the budget as being "untenable, flimsy, and most likely unachievable".Labour and Reform UK groups in the council either rejected the budget or abstained from the to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
