Tax rises and budget cuts defended by council leader

Patrick Harley said the council had to make "tough decisions" to avoid any risk of effective bankruptcy

Tough budget decisions, including a 4.99% council tax hike, were necessary to balance the books, a council leader said.

Dudley Council's tax rise is the maximum allowed without a referendum. The budget also contains 157 savings in services including youth clubs and support for elderly and vulnerable people.

"The local authority cannot continue to cover and do everything, and we cannot continue to offer gold-plated services," said Conservative leader Patrick Harley.

The budget was passed on Monday night and was part of the council's five-year strategy to save £42m.

The council had to make tough decisions to avoid any risk of effective bankruptcy and commissioners taking over, Harley said.

"If we don't cut our cloth accordingly, then we won't be able to make these decisions [ourselves], as hard as they are. I will not be making them – a commissioner will," he told BBC Radio WM.

'Many pushed to brink'

Higher council rents and charges for collecting green waste, plus measures such as closing the Crystal Gateway dementia hub, are on the cards for residents.

Labour councillor Shaukat Ali said the measures would "push many to the brink".

Labour councillors had proposed an amendment to the budget, which aimed to find £2.8m to keep some services open by putting less into reserves and scrapping new senior officer jobs, but this was rejected.

Regarding the dementia hub closing down, Harley said fewer people were attending such centres after the Covid pandemic and projects that offered activities such as gardening could be more effective.

Regarding the green waste charges, which will increase from £36 to £52 per year, he said the previous charges had still left a deficit of £1.5m for the service.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.