Council tax rise proposed amid budget plans

The budget will be discussed on Tuesday

A 3% council tax rise has been proposed to help tackle "growing pressures" to deliver services, Wyre Forest District Council has revealed.

The budget plans, to be discussed on Tuesday, also include freezing car parking charges, additional funding for litter picking and tackling illegal parking.

The tax rise would mean an extra cost of £7.51 for the year or 14p a week for Band D properties. However, 75% of homes in Wyre Forest are in Bands A to C, so those householders would pay less, the council said.

Reviews of how services are delivered and procured will be carried out amid a focus on finding savings and efficiencies, the authority explained.

At Tuesday's meeting, the cabinet will consider spending priorities for its medium-term financial strategy, from 2026 to 2029.

'Find savings and efficiencies'

"We have a legal requirement to balance the council's budget each year and the pressures on us to deliver services are growing," councillor David Ross, cabinet member for finance and capital portfolio said.

"As part of the medium term financial strategy, we are focussing on finding savings and efficiencies.

"We plan to carry out more reviews of how services are delivered and procured. We will not get the full picture about our 2026-27 funding from government until the settlement is announced in December."

Council leader Marcus Hart, said excellent progress had been made and "despite the funding pressure, we are still proposing to invest to meet our aims".

"We would like residents to take part in our consultation to help shape the proposals further," he added.