Sandwell Council plans 5% council tax rise to plug £19m gap

Sandwell Council has a £19 million gap in its financial accounts

Sandwell residents will be asked to pay an extra 5% in council tax from April to help plug a £19m gap in the council's finances.

Sandwell Council also plans a range of savings including cuts to its library budget and for school crossings.

The rise in tax would equate to between £55 and £65 more to pay per year for most households, it said.

The council's series of "required" cuts aim to fill a nearly £19m gap in its accounts.

They include more than £8m from the council's corporate budget, £2m from education and children's services and more than £4m from adult social care.

Some of the biggest cuts and money-saving plans include reducing the budget for parks, green spaces and ground maintenance by £736,000 alongside a £256,000 reduction to the borough's library budget.

They also plan to cut nearly £200,000 from the school crossings budget.

Temporary recruitment freeze planned

Council bosses propose to continue with a "review" of the borough's SEND transport system - which provides free transport for children who cannot walk to school because of their special educational needs and disabilities.

It was believed this would save £700,000.

Bosses also plan a temporary ban on recruitment with a council-wide "vacancy freeze" to save about £7m.

"Efficiencies" and "value for money initiatives" would save nearly £500,000 from the children's services budget, the council claimed.

By law, the council must set a balanced budget so the shortfall needed to be closed before March when councillors set the coming year's budget.

While Sandwell's medium-term financial plan showed a predicted £19m gap in the authority's accounts for the coming 12 months, the planned cuts would by no means be one-offs.

Future financial predictions show £18m cuts in 2025-26 and annual £19.5m cuts in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

The proposed 5% increase would only cover Sandwell Council's share of council tax with shares for the region's police and fire services still to be determined.

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

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