Residents can still have their say on Wakefield Council budget as council tax set to increase

Residents are being reminded that they can have their say on Wakefield Council’s budget proposals.
The council chamber at County HallThe council chamber at County Hall
The council chamber at County Hall

Wakefield Council’s leadership is proposing a budget for 2021/22 that will see continued investment in services and facilities to support and improve the lives of residents, their families and local businesses by protecting the most vulnerable, tackling poverty and continuing to support the response and recovery from the pandemic.

Coun Denise Jeffery, Leader of Wakefield Council and CounJack Hemingway, Deputy Leader, have maintained their commitment to invest in the district and its people, as well as developing budget proposals that will support the district as it continues its recovery from COVID-19.

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Coun Jeffery said: “We want residents to share their views as we plan for our next budget. Our proposals reflect our focus to continuing to support our residents and our businesses, and address the areas that they told us are important to them. In spite of the significant financial challenges, it is not a time for cuts to services.

“We have to make the necessary investment so that we can make a real difference and build a better future for everyone.

“By working with partners we will continue to meet the challenges that the pandemic brings and keep pulling together as we emerge and recover.

“We must also look further to our future and continue our commitment to tackle climate change so that generations to come will be able to benefit from what we do now.”

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The proposals include an additional £500,000 investment for parks and green spaces, and extra £600,000 of funding into the Council’s STEP-UP employment programme and in-work progression scheme, and proposals for the ‘first two hours’ of parking become free of charge in the Council’s off street car parks, from April 2021.

£8.9m is proposed for frontline services to protect the vulnerable, including £1.5m for support for the homeless and £5.4m in adult social care - where there continues to be a significant increase in demand as well as supporting the highly valued care sector.

The council is also planning to carry on investing in children’s services, including £1.5m in children’s social care, £0.5m in home to school transport and further growth in Education, Health and Care Plans.

A £3m fund will support the council’s continuing response to the pandemic through to March 2022, aiding the work of Wakefield Recovery Board to respond to the needs of residents and businesses across the district, and £300,000 is to be invested in the Council’s plans to tackle climate change and protect the environment.

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To deliver a balanced budget Wakefield Council is tackling a gap of £25.7m in 2021/22. It will deliver over £11m of efficiencies, and the district’s housing growth will help tackle the challenge, generating an extra £3.1m of additional Council Tax.

An extra £3.6m of reserves are also being prudently released to support the district and minimise the impact of the budget gap on residents.

The remaining £5.9m budget gap will be met by a proposed Council Tax increase of 1.99% and an Adult Social Care Precept of 2% is being proposed for 2021/22. This would make the total increase 3.99% - an extra 74p per week for a Band A property.

Coun Denise Jeffery explained: “Raising Council Tax is never an easy proposal. I am fully aware of the hardships many people in the district are facing as a result of the global pandemic and I understand that any increase will be difficult for some.

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“We have explored all avenues to close the budget gap and will once again be using our reserves to try and reduce the impact on residents, as well as continuing to drive efficiencies from every corner of the Council. We are also, yet again calling on this Government to properly fund adult social care, instead of them passing the buck onto local residents. This is a national crisis that needs a central Government response.”

The public consultation is live. People can take part at www.wakefield.gov.uk/budget

Paper copies will be available on request by emailing [email protected]

The final budget proposals for 2021/22 will be reported to cabinet on February 16, 2021, with approval reserved to full council at their meeting on February 24, 2021.