Birmingham residents set for 2.99 per cent council tax rise

Birmingham City Council has published its strategic financial plan after a public consultation where residents chose which priorities they wanted the council, the biggest in Europe, to follow.

There will be a strategic focus on early intervention and prevention to level-up life chances and the benefits of growth for every street, neighbourhood, and community.

The priorities are listed as:

• Prosperous: Through continued economic growth, tackling unemployment, attracting inward investment and infrastructure, and maximising the opportunity of the Commonwealth Games.

• Inclusive: Through empowering citizens, looking after vulnerable children, supporting young people to fulfil potential, and promoting diversity, opportunities and culture.

• Safe: By tackling of anti-social behaviour and hate crime, housing provision and addressing homelessness, and improving living environments and civic pride.

• Healthy: By tackling health inequalities, encouraging and enabling physical activity and healthy living, quality of care, and helping to support mental health.

• Green: By improving the cleanliness of the city and its streets, improving the environment and air quality, carbon reduction and enabling an inclusive green transition.

The financial plan assumes an annual increase in council tax at 1.99 per cent. Given the significant long-standing pressure on social care services reflected in the budget proposals, the budget report also proposes to increase council tax further in 2022/23 by the one per cent adult social care precept announced by the Government recently in the Local Government Finance Settlement.

The Birmingham City Council element of the annual council tax bill is therefore set to increase by 2.99 per cent in total in 2022/23 – equivalent to 86p per week for Band D homes.

Councillor Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: "This is a bold budget for Birmingham that will help us reap the benefits of a golden decade ahead for the city, its people and its businesses.

"Despite ongoing pressures and challenges, as well as those emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, we know there is a need to protect and modernise services, whilst investing in areas that are rightly a priority for the people and communities of Birmingham."

He added: "Our strategy focuses on early intervention and prevention to level-up life chances, so that the benefits of growth are felt in every street, neighbourhood, and community and we will work in partnership with other public agencies and the private sector to put Birmingham at the very heart of the levelling up agenda."