Worcestershire county council tax rise set to be 2.5% (From Halesowen News)

Worcestershire county council tax rise set to be 2.5%

10:20am Tuesday 9th February 2010

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THE average band D council tax payer in Wyre Forest is set to shell out £25.34 extra a year for Worcestershire County Council services.

The council is proposing a 2.5 per cent rise in its share of the bill for the next financial year - the same as Wyre Forest District Council.

The district council’s increase would lead to band D residents paying another £4.82 a year for its services.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has put forward plans to increase its share of the budget by 2.9 per cent, a hike of £2.08 a year.

The county council, which is responsible for services such as highways, social care and waste management, says £15 million will go towards improving the condition of rural roads.

There are also plans to spend £3 million on footways and £8.5 million on flood mitigation measures.

The authority has to find £1.5 million to pay for free personal care at home for those in need, under a new Government bill.

Adrian Hardman, county council cabinet member for finance, said: "Finances continue to be tight for us, even though we run a lean operation in Worcestershire.

“The budget we've prepared has also been shared with residents, businesses, unions and parish councils for their thoughts to ensure we continue to provide services that are deemed a priority.

"The Personal Home Care Bill has definitely altered our thinking over recent weeks. We'd already earmarked to put an additional £3 million into the Adult Social Care budget. These new responsibilities means that amount will have to be considerably higher.

"We do not want to pass on all our financial issues to residents however and we've done our best to keep the increase as low as possible."

The district council, as the billing authority, will have final details of council tax bills once the county council, parish council, West Mercia Police and the fire service have all agreed their precepts.

The county council’s budget will go to full council on Thursday, February 18 for a final decision, while the district council’s will be decided on Wednesday, February 24.

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