COUNCIL tax bills will rise by nearly five per cent in Cheshire West and Chester, after councillors approved a new budget for 2021/22.

Councillors voted 40-28 in favour of approving the budget, and associated tax rise, at a meeting of CWAC council yesterday (February 25).

It means residents will have to pay 4.99 per cent more council tax from April, which is made up of a 1.99 per cent council tax rise itself, and an additional three per cent adult social care precept.

At the near-four-hour-long meeting, Labour and Conservative councillors clashed over the plans.

Labour Cllr Carol Gahan, cabinet member for finance said: “We got the bombshell of tax rises [from Chancellor Rishi Sunak] for councils to deliver. 

“Additional funding for social care? Yes. But only if we raise the funding through a three per cent precept on council tax.

“As you would expect, careful consideration has been given to the level of council tax so this is not a decision which has been taken lightly.”

A summary of the meeting from Local Democracy Reporter Ethan Davies

Her Conservative opposite number, Cllr Neil Sullivan challenged Labour’s view that the tax rise had been ‘forced’ on to councils by the government to pay for rising social care costs.

Cllr Sullivan said: “The council has incurred, so far, about £50 million [of extra Covid-19 costs]. I hope everyone will recognise and appreciate the support given by the government.

“The budget tonight ignores people who are struggling to get by in the public sector. I am afraid this Labour authority has taxed the public to the limit.

“Council tax has increased from £144 million to £204 million [since Labour came to power in 2015] — what has changed is that the council gets a little less centrally but gets a lot more from council tax.”

Party leaders also clashed, with Conservative Cllr Margaret Parker telling Labour they ‘should hang their heads in shame’ over the rise, accusing them of ‘mismanaging’ past budgets.

Labour council leader Louise Gittins said it was ‘shameful that I have had to write begging letters to [government] asking to cover the costs of Covid’.

By law, councils must pass a balanced budget for the upcoming year.

Although CWAC’s is, the authority says it is facing a £53.4 million black hole between April 2022 and March 2025.

That has prompted some cuts to services, including  £1 million of efficiencies in the delivery of care, £914,000 of cuts in a corporate services review, and the removal of the £2 million children's social care contingency fund.

However, these savings are countered by a similar level of investment — with around £21.7 million in each category — so some services, like adult social care, will see a boost.