COUNCIL Tax in Solihull is set to rise by a five per cent – the maximum amount permitted – it has been decided.
The 4.99 per cent hike will see Council Tax for an average Band D property move up to £1,269.13 – a rise of £60.32 from last year.
General Council Tax will account for £1,209.40 of this figure with a further £59.73 earmarked for adult social care – the allocation of which has gone up by three per cent.
The increase – agreed at a meeting of Full Council on March 1 – breaks down into £24.06 increase in general Council Tax and and additional £36.26 for adult social care – an area that is in dire need of additional funds.
These sums exclude police, fire and parish precepts.
The current West Midlands Police portion of Council tax (for a Band D property) is £106.55 – set to rise to £111.55 – a rise of £5 to cover the massive cuts in Government funding to the police.
West Midlands Fire Service has put its allocation up by £1.11 per year (for a Band D property) – meaning residents will have to pay £57.14 per year to fund the fire service.
Parish Council Precepts make up the remainder of the tax bill – these range from £17 to £77 (for a Band D property) depending upon the parish.
At its budget meeting Solihull Council also approved a Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and efficiency plan up to 2020, which is designed to ensure that Council priorities continue to be met against anticipated continual financial constraints. The strategy outlines the Council’s commitment to ensuring resources will be focussed towards services which contribute most to improving outcomes for local people.
Councillor Bob Sleigh OBE, Leader of the Council, said: “Along with the rest of the public sector, we face a massive challenge over the next few years to deliver public services with a much lower level of funding than previously.
“This is particularly the case for adult social care with an increasing demand for services.
“However, these are also exciting times for Solihull, with managed growth in the borough’s economy increasing the income we generate locally.
“This includes participating in a pilot for full business rates retention from April 2017, as part of our involvement in the West Midlands Combined Authority.
“Our priority as a council is to improve and enrich our residents’ lives and to continue to provide essential services at a consistently high standard.
“We are committed to make the best use of our resources by aligning them to the needs of the people of Solihull.”
