Wakefield Council to hike tax and cut services to tackle £24m budget shortfall

Wakefield Council closed its headquarters last year to save money on energy.

Wakefield Council is set to cut spending on services by £14m and raise council tax by 4.99% in a bid to plug a hole in its budget.

Leisure centre and parking charges could also increase under plans to tackle the £24.7m funding shortfall.

Council leader Denise Jeffrey said "continued underfunding" from government was "putting services and communities at risk".

The local authority's proposed 2023/24 budget will be set out next week.

The council said the shortfall meant it would be forced to make cuts and find ways to increase income.

However, "most frontline services" will be protected, it added.

The local authority said it planned to save £2m by cutting staff, including by scrapping vacant posts, and £700,000 by closing buildings and reducing energy use.

Charges for services such as trade waste collections and pest control are set to be hiked to cover increased costs.

'Woeful underfunding'

Under the proposals, council tax will rise by 4.99%, the maximum allowed without a referendum after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt scrapped the previous cap last year.

The increase will include a 2% rise reserved for spending on social care.

Ms Jeffrey acknowledged the proposals would impact on local residents "already struggling in the middle of a brutal cost of living crisis".

She said: "We are acutely aware that residents' lives will be affected by any changes to our services and our financial decisions. We know many of you are already struggling to get by.

"The government claims that councils have 'an option' to raise council tax. The reality is they have given us no choice. Their continued and woeful underfunding simply puts the financial burden on local people, something we have worked so hard to avoid."

The council announced last year it would temporarily close its headquarters and relocate staff to save money on energy.

It has also pulled out of plans to buy a struggling shopping centre, saying it could not take the "significant financial risk".