Council Tax bills in Sefton will increase by just under 5% from April after the council set its annual budget last night.
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 as a 4.99% rise comes in.
The Budget will also see savings of £4.25 million being made as the local authority faces pressures in a number of areas including rising social care costs, rising pay and bigger energy bills.
Councillors have pledged more money to support adult and children’s services and funding is also being set aside to help with re-opening Southport Pier.
Councillor Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council and Leader of Sefton Labour group,, said: “The situation facing councils up and down the country, not just in Sefton, is desperate and this is the impact of years of austerity, cuts to local government funding and funding not reflecting changes in demand or cost.
“Councils are the fabric of society that bring local services together for residents but at the moment that fabric is being stretched to breaking point.
“We have reluctantly agreed to increase council tax to help us in delivering vital services.”
The budget is being set at a time when councils across the country are facing a deficit of £4 billion this year and next just to maintain services as they are.
The measures agreed for Sefton include a set of savings totalling about £4.25 million. That includes discontinuing the use of Southport park and ride and increasing fees and charges for some services.
It also sets out investment of £10.6 million, which is largely to meet the costs of increasing demand for adult and children’s social care but also support with the funding to repair Southport Pier.
Councillor Atkinson said: “While the finances paint a pretty bleak picture we have to get on with the job and continue to deliver for our residents.
“While money may be tight, we are in a position where we are able to protect our vital frontline services for residents and by building on the great work that is done by our communities to support each other we can focus on what really matters to residents.
“Thanks to the ambition we are showing for the borough we are attracting investment running into tens of millions of pounds into Sefton and that will help set us up for the future creating more jobs and improving our neighbourhoods.”
Residents will be asked to pay an extra 4.99% on the council’s portion of the bill – equivalent to an increase of £1.58 per week for the average Band C property.
Sefton Lib Dem Leader Cllr John Pugh had put forward a motion calling for more funding for Southport Pier.
Cllr Pugh sought to amend the Council’s capital budget adding a further £2 million from capital borrowing to the monies available.
He said afterwards: “I am a disappointed, as this was a modest step forward to make a start on refurbishment. The council’s current policy on the Pier is to simply take the begging bowl to the government and wait, but I suspect they will be more likely to support the Council on this project if it’s prepared to make a financial commitment itself.”
Sefton Conservatives voted against the 4.99% increase in Council Tax.
Southport Conservative Leader Cllr Mike Prendergast said a Council Tax freeze “would have helped households across Sefton”.
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