Wakefield council tax rise agreed amid angry scenes at meeting

Wakefield Council is facing a £33m funding gap for the next financial year

Angry scenes marred a council meeting in West Yorkshire where a council tax rise of almost 5% was agreed.

Mayor Josie Pritchard adjourned the meeting of Wakefield Council on Wednesday after an independent councillor labelled his opposite members as "scum" before swearing.

Councillors later voted in favour of a 2.99% council tax rise, plus a 2% increase in the adult social care levy.

The council is facing a £33m funding gap for the next financial year.

Leader of the Labour-run authority Denise Jeffery said it was "better placed than most" to deal with the financial crises currently engulfing several councils across the country.

Council tax in Wakefield will remain the second lowest out of the five West Yorkshire local authorities, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillors also approved plans to sell the Castleford Civic Centre and save £3.5m by not replacing vacant council jobs.

Car parking charges are also likely to rise across the district to generate revenue.

Outlining the proposals, Ms Jeffery said the district's spending power had been reduced by £203m since 2010.

'Profound problems'

She said: "I fear that the Tories are intent on pursuing a 'scorched earth' policy and that the profound problems an incoming Labour government would face might take some time to sort out."

The tax increase is expected to raise an extra £8.7m for the council.

Wakefield Council's Conservative group saw an amendment calling for a council tax freeze defeated.

Tory leader Nadeem Ahmed accused Labour of "a lack of strategy and vision" to attract investment into the city.

The meeting was brought to a halt when independent councillor for Wakefield East Akef Akbar referred to some of his fellow councillors as "scum" and refused to retract his comment.

He then swore as Ms Pritchard tried to restore order before the authority's chief executive Andrew Balchin addressed councillors to appeal for calm.