Calderdale council tax to rise by nearly 5% as budget agreed

The tax rise was agreed at a council meeting in Halifax on Monday

Council tax in Calderdale is set to increase by the maximum possible amount in the next financial year after councillors approved budget proposals.

The 4.99% rise means Band A properties will pay £1,380 in council tax while Band D homes will increase to £2,071.

Council leader Tim Swift said the hike was needed to invest in social care while protecting front-line services.

Meanwhile, the council earmarked £180,000 to deliver a 100% council tax exemption for foster carers.

Mr Swift said this was to help attract more foster carers to look after children, which in turn should reduce the number of high cost external placements currently needed.

The increase in council tax in Calderdale includes a 2% social care precept.

'Disastrous' decisions

A meeting of the full council on Monday was told the authority faced a funding gap of £10.2m due to "intense demand pressures in social care and heightened levels of cost inflation".

Mr Swift said the main principles in drawing up the authority's £197m budget were to maintain front-line services without cuts and ensure social care was funded.

He said this was against a backdrop of emerging from Covid, the cost of living crisis, high inflation, rising energy prices, the war in Ukraine, along with significant falls in revenue from sources such as car parking.

The Labour leader said years of grant cuts and the fallout from "disastrous" decisions made by Liz Truss as prime minister had also affected what the council could do, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, the meeting was told that headroom of around £700,000 in the budget meant the authority would be able to increase housing standards enforcement in the aftermath of the death of Rochdale toddler Awaab Ishak.

Amendments to the budget from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were defeated, with Labour councillors arguing against opposition proposals including querying costs of changing recycling processes.