BROMSGROVE District Council has lauded one of its final ever budgets ‘resilient’, extolling its plan in protecting key frontline services.
Members agreed a 2.99 per cent increase for the authority’s section of the council tax bill.
The figure is below inflation and equates to an average increase of just 15p per week for district council services.
The rise means the council’s part of the average band D council tax will cost £265.18 which is £5.10-a-week.
Councillors said the budget kept services sustainable, green spaces glowing and infrastructure improving.
Bromsgrove District Council collects the whole bill on behalf of Worcestershire County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner, Fire and Rescue Service and parish councils.
Due to a delay in the county council’s setting of its precept, an extraordinary meeting of the district council will be held on March 6 to incorporate Worcestershire County Council’s agreed increases.
This will complete the final council tax setting position and enable the whole bills to be sent out to residents.
This will be one of the last Bromsgrove District Council annual budgets as the Local Government Reorganisation is due to take shape in the next 12 to 18 months.
Coun Simon Nock, the cabinet member for finance, said the resilient budget would enable the authority to continue to provide frontline services at a difficult time for local government.
“It is a budget in which all political groups have been involved, and it was great to see unanimous support in the chamber last night.
“By creating a new £2.5million resilience fund, we are also ensuring that Bromsgrove remains on a stable footing, no matter what the national economy throws at us and with Local Government Reorganisation in mind.”
The council said spending was once again in line with its priorities of Economic Development, Housing, Environment and Infrastructure.
This year it had rolled out new wheeled bins for every home across the district and a new fleet of bin collection lorries.
This was on top of multi-million-pound commitments already made by the district council for major regeneration and wellbeing projects, including Bromsgrove town centre through redeveloping the former Market Hall site, transforming it into Nailers Yard.
“Our communities have enjoyed events all over the district, in clean, green spaces maintained by our teams.”
Bromsgrove District Council leader, Coun Karen May, said the authority only retained a small proportion of the entire council tax bill – historically around 13 per cent.
“We are making that work harder than ever to protect the frontline services our residents value most.”
