Wolverhampton Council approves 4.99 per cent tax hike, despite opposition

Members of Wolverhampton Council voted to increase the council tax by the maximum amount permitted without a referendum, taking the charge for the average band 'D' property to £2,539 a year.

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It follows a similar increase by Dudley Council on Monday night.

The opposition Conservative group had tabled an alternative budget, which would have pegged the council tax increase to 3.99 per cent, and offered free city-centre parking at weekends and evenings. But the group's proposals, which also earmarked an extra £600,000 for pothole repairs, but would have resulted in £900,000 worth of staffing cuts, were defeated.

Cabinet member for highways, Councillor Qaiser Azeem, said the Labour group had committed to spending an extra £10 million on roads over the next year.

"With approximately 480 miles of roads and 800 miles of footpaths to maintain, the council cannot resurface everything at once," he said.

Conservative group leader Councillor Simon Bennett said the ruling group had taken the easy option of asking the taxpayer to pay more.

He said the extra £10 million committed to roads maintenance was borrowed money, which was needed to address neglect which had taken place in previous years.

Councillor Celia Hibbert, a member of Reform UK who sits as an independent, said she had been inundated with telephone calls when it was revealed that the council was proposing another 4.99 per cent increase in the council tax.

"Where on earth do they want us to find this money from again?" she said.

"Parents are texting me every day, I'm talking about mums, hardworking families on the minimum wage, they can't afford this recklessness."

She said the Conservative alternative budget did not go far enough, and said the council should take the advice of businessman Henry Carver and offer free parking at all times.

Councillor Steve Evans, deputy leader of Wolverhampton Council, said 70 per cent of car parks in Wolverhampton were run by private operators.

"The reality is you cannot run car parks for free, there is obviously maintenance, as well has having to pay people to manage them," he said.