Council tax to rise by five per cent in Sandwell
Council tax will rise by almost five per cent in Sandwell from April, after the proposals were waved through last night.
Sandwell Council leader Steve Eling insisted the 4.99 per cent rise was necessary to help the cash-strapped authority make much-needed savings.
The rise is the most councils can force through without triggering a referendum. It will mean households paying around £1 a week extra.
Three per cent of the extra money will fund social care and the other two will be used for council services.
Councillor Eling said he was not happy about having to put up tax by five per cent and that he believed the Government should be funding social care.
There was no repeat of the drama at Dudley Council 24 hours earlier where the controlling Labour group failed to get a 4.99 per cent increase passed after the move was blocked by opposition members. There is only one opposition councillor at Sandwell Council House.
