£50 more on council tax

Council tax in Dudley is set to rise by an average £50 a year – amid warnings of further cutbacks in services.

The five per cent increase – almost double the rate of inflation – has been blamed on massive increases in the cost of looking after the elderly and disabled and a £6 million shortfall in government grants.

The rise means the tax for a Band D property will go from £1,145.13 to about £1,195 and comes on top of last year's increase of 4.9 per cent.

Dudley Council bosses revealed the rise as part of preliminary budget plans for the next financial year.

It came with a warning from council leader David Caunt, pictured, that savings would have to be made to balance the books. Staffing levels, leisure facilities and Meals on Wheels will be in the frontline for savings but Councillor Caunt said they had no alternative but to increase the council tax.

"As the various inspection reports and awards we have received this year show, this council is committed to providing high-quality services and excellent value for money for local people

"This, however, has been a difficult budget to set. Our services are at the frontline and with limited resources we have had to make some hard decisions about where our priorities lie.

"But we believe we have come up with a budget proposal that is well balanced and linked to priorities expressed by residents in a recent survey."

The council has already faced fierce criticism over its decision to to close borough libraries in Quarry Bank, Dudley Wood, Amblecote, Wall Heath and Woodside.

Councillor Anne Millward, Dudley Council cabinet member for finance, defended the cuts, saying: "Although the council's arguments for a fairer share of government funding have been partially successful, our overall grant is still the lowest in the Black Country and £6 million less than the government itself says we need."