Council tax set to rise by around £50-a-year in Sandwell
Council tax is expected to rise by another four per cent across Sandwell from next year - the third big hike in as many years.
Borough council leader Steve Eling said he had been left little choice but to propose to increase bills again, as he hit out at the Government over continued budget cuts.
Households in Sandwell have endured consecutive council tax rises over the past two years following a period of bills being frozen. Now they have been told to prepare for another rise.
The likely decision for 2019/20 will be an of 3.99 per cent, Councillor Eling said, including one per cent to pay for social care.
The rise would be lower than the five per cent increase of the last two years.
Council tax for the average household in Sandwell is currently £1,535 a year, including funding for police and fire. A 3.99 per cent rise would add around £50 to the annual bill.
The leader said another increase would be necessary to 'keep the show on the road'. Local authorities have also been hampered by having to fund social care themselves through council tax. Under the leader's proposals, 2.99 per cent of the rise would go towards frontline services.
He added: "Otherwise we will get accused of under-funding services. We never raked up council tax when a number of other places did. When the freeze was on offer we took it.
The leader of the Labour-run council also defended his record on services such as bin collections, libraries and leisure centres despite budget constraints and pleaded for understanding from residents. Bin collections are to become fortnightly in Wolverhampton, but Councillor Eling said there were no such plans in Sandwell.
He said: "All the key public services are in tact and that is what we promised people. The promise we made people when all these draconian cuts, we can still be held to. But we need to charge what we need to charge to keep the show on the road.
"It allows us to do the things people like like repairing roads, and we're still investing in housing and leisure centres."
Councillor Eling led a blistering attack on the Government last week on behalf of local councils across Britain, insisting enough was enough.
