Conservatives planning 'alternative budget' with lower council tax rise in Wolverhampton

Conservative chiefs in the city are putting forward an "alternative budget" to the one Labour-run authority is expected to sign-off on at a meeting on March 1.

And it will include a 3.99 per cent rise in council tax compared to the 4.99 per cent planned hike, equating to a saving of £18.19 and will cost chiefs £1.2 million.

But the proposal has been branded as "electioneering" by Labour councillors who have criticised the Conservatives' plans to reduce the rise by a small amount.

Other plans would see free city centre car parking on weekends to encourage more footfall and a £300,000 immediate cash boost to potholes and road issues.

Conservative councillor Ellis Turrell, who represents Tettenhall Wightwick, said: “The Conservative Group in Wolverhampton is once again demonstrating that we are on the side of hardworking residents in the city. We are proposing a lower council tax increase, as we recognise that there is a choice and the council doesn’t have to constantly raise bills by huge amounts.

"The proposals put forward by the Conservative councillors reflect the needs of residents across the whole city. More money for pothole repairs and tree maintenance, the reintroduction of neighbourhood wardens to crack down on anti-social behaviour, and free city centre parking on weekends to give a boost to our struggling shops and businesses. We also want to massively expand local youth provision in communities right across Wolverhampton.

“There is a clear choice for councillors to make – to continue with more of the same, which isn’t working after 50 years of Labour control in Wolverhampton, or to take a fresh new approach to delivering council services which make a difference to residents’ lives.”

The plans would lead to a "restructuring" of the communications and visitor experience budget to save £1.19m, with other changes impacting senior staff, the authority's policy and strategy budget, and an election change to a four-year cycle.

However the Labour council's deputy leader, Councillor Stephen Simkins, has branded the proposals as "electioneering" and added the opposition agreed with the majority of original budget.

He said: "If you take money out of a budget, it means you can do less – that's just the fundamentals and something somewhere has got to give and you have to make up that money. You can't protect as many people if you've got £1.2 million less you can invest.

"I would describe the budget as an amendment because they agree on almost 99 per cent of what we're proposing. The people of this city deserve better and the biggest concern this city has is a Conservative Government who have damaged this economy."

Councillor Simkins said the authority was planning to support people struggling with the cost of living crisis and continue to invest in the city – and bring more investment in – and cited the planned £6 million box space and the hope for a new hotel.