Residents in the Wirral are facing a hike in their council tax bills under a new budget, which will be debated by councillors on March 2nd.
Wirral Council has warned that in addition to the 4.99% hike in council tax, the maximum allowed without a local referendum, departments right across the authority must make efficiency savings as well as redundancies.
The council has said that it hopes the rise in council tax, an additional cost of living challenge to people on the Wirral, will raise nearly £10million.
In a press release, Wirral Council said that a combination of factors has led to one of the most challenging financial positions in its history.
To balance the budget for the upcoming financial year, the council said that it has submitted a request to the government for £6million in External Financial Support (EFS), which means it does not have the money to fill this shortfall itself.
They have warned that the budget can only be balanced if the government agrees to its request for EFS.
A particular cause on the drain of the council’s resources is rising demand for essential services the authority must deliver by law.
Increased demand for Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are outstripping available resources.
In comments from January, Matt Bennet, interim Chief Executive of Wirral Council, said: “Wirral Council, like many other local authorities across the country, is experiencing serious financial pressures.”
He continued: “Population health is the single biggest factor driving the costs this council faces and the current funding formula does not take into account the level of need or demand within communities like ours.”
The council plans to achieve a sufficient staff reduction through deleting vacant posts, making other posts redundant and offering voluntary severance to staff.
There will be a full council vote on the budget on the 2nd of March.
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