Council Tax bills in Sefton are due to rise by 4.99% from April as Sefton Council also looks to make over £4 million in budget savings.
When Council Tax bills land, it will mean local residents in a Band C property paying an extra £96.14 for council services in the coming financial year.
Sefton will confirm its plans for the next 12 months when it sets its Budget at a meeting at Bootle Town Hall next Thursday (29th February 2024).
The local authority is facing a number of pressures on its ability to fund services, including rising costs of core services such as social care and meeting pay awards for employees.
A 2.99% Council Tax increase for Sefton would generate £4.792 million in 2024/25 while an additional 2% rise, under an Adult Social Care Precept, would raise an extra £3.206 million in 2024/25.
It would be bolstered by a total of £4.26 million in budget savings, which would include the cessation of the Southport Park and Ride service.
There will be increased costs for some services, such as in leisure centres.
The council is set to review cleaning in alleys that aren’t responsibility of the council.
Sefton is managing areas of growth, leading ambitious schemes to develop the new £73 million Marine Lake Events Centre, the new £1.5 million Southport Enterprise Arcade, and the Bootle Strand regeneration, while it also has £3 million set aside for Southport Pier improvements.
In a report, Sefton Council Chief Executive Phil Porter said: “During the last 12 months the financial position within the local government sector has continued to deteriorate.
“Previously, councils would be considered to be in financial trouble due to the failure of commercial activities or excessive debt being held, but more recently, the sector is reporting that councils without these issues will be facing bankruptcy and severe cuts to core services due to funding not keeping pace with demand and cost increases – the view of the sector is that this is due to funding not poor decision making or financial management.”
Sefton, along with other UK councils, are facing rising costs in areas including: Children’s Social Care; Adults Social Care; SEND and High Needs Budgets; and Housing and Homelessness.
Writing about Children’s Social Care, Phil Porter said: “This risk has been focussed on the number and cost of accommodation for children who require support. As a result, it has been the main area of the Council where the budget has grown, increasing from about £40m in 2018/19 to £82m in 2023/24.”
Other pressures include an additional:
£4.54 million in pay award provision
£7.5 million for social care providers
£2 million for children’s social care providers
£1.1 million in levies to Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (for Transport) and the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority.
As a temporary cost increase, the global increase in energy prices is currently having a significant impact on Sefton Council’s energy and fuel costs. This is currently estimated to increase costs in 2024/25 by around £2.7 million.
In better news, a net Council Tax / Business Rates surplus of £11.3 million will be declared for 2024/25.
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