Oxfordshire councils propose increase to council tax

Oxfordshire County Councilis aiming to make £13m of savings

Council tax in Oxfordshire could rise by almost 5% if budget proposals are approved.

The county council wants to invest £21m into its services, including £4.4m to meet pressures in adult social care services.

Cherwell District Council also announced it needed to save £2.6m.

The Conservative opposition said the county council should focus on "delivering value for money before above-inflation tax rises".

Consultations on both budget proposals have opened ahead of their consideration in February.

The county council said it would ringfence 3% of the council tax rise for adult social care.

In October council leader Liz Leffman wrote to Boris Johnson asking for urgent investment in the sector, warning that otherwise council tax would have to rise.

Concerns were also raised about funding for special educational needs after increased demands during the coronavirus pandemic, with plans to invest £1.2m.

(R-L) Liz Brighouse, Pete Sudbury and Liz Leffman led a new coalition following the local elections

The council aims to make £13m of savings.

Parking charges in Oxford city centre could be increased to raise income and deter people from using cars.

More than £800,000 is earmarked for measures to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, including more electric vehicle chargers.

A review into school transport will also take place with a view to making savings and reducing emissions.

It is the first budget proposal from the Liberal Democrat, Labour, and Green alliance that took over following local elections in May.

'Significant increase'

Mrs Leffman said residents were "under a lot of pressure at the moment" but that the authority was not getting enough money for social care.

"That's why we're having to put council tax up, because we really do need to make sure we protect those people," she added.

But opposition leader Eddie Reeves said it looked like the council wanted to "spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on tree-planting and retrofitting residential homes, while raising money from motorists via higher parking and ANPR camera systems".

He added: "These measures amount to a significant increase in council revenue and it is hard to see how a majority of residents, particularly elderly and less well off residents, will benefit.

"Our focus would be on protecting the vulnerable and delivering value for money before above-inflation tax rises."

Cherwell District Council is looking to put up car parking charges by 10p per hour.

It cited the impact of the pandemic and uncertainty over government plans, such as the resetting of business rates.

The authority could also remove funding for a CCTV system in Banbury which it shares with Thames Valley Police.

Consultations on both budgets are open until early January.