Maximum tax rise 'truly necessary' says council

Suffolk County Council will raise its share of tax on residents by the maximum amount of 4.99% for 2025-26

A council has said it will spend taxpayers' money "wisely and carefully" and that a maximum tax increase is "truly necessary" to avoid difficult decisions.

Richard Smith, Suffolk County Council's lead for finance, proposed the authority's 2025-26 budget at Thursday's full council meeting.

His proposals included a maximum tax rise of 4.99%, consisting of a 2.99% increase in council tax and 2% in its social care precept.

The Conservative councillor said he could "promise" taxpayers the money would be well spent and the rise was "truly necessary".

Richard Smith proposed the authority's budget during thursday's full council meeting

"Suffolk is in safe hands, this is a sensible and secure budget for a successful future," Smith added.

The council previously came in for criticism when it announced budget savings in January last year, including cutting all its arts spending.

It later reversed this decision, offering a £500,000 fund for arts groups after the government gave more money to local councils.

The tax hike is equivalent to £1.51 a week for a Band D property and £1.17 for Band B and would net the council an additional £35.9m in funding.

Labour councillor Sandy Martin said the council's reserves should be put into statutory services, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He said: "The Conservative approach for 15 years has been to spend less money than they had available, and the upshot is that more and more of this council's budget has to be spent on picking up the pieces of Suffolk residents' broken lives."