Rotherham Council agreed 4% tax increase

Rotherham Council said demand for support for vulnerable children and adults has risen

More than half of homes in Rotherham will end up paying at least an extra £45 next year after the council approved a 4% rise in council tax.

The South Yorkshire authority warned that without the increase it would have to make cuts of around £10m.

The Labour-controlled council said the rise would support "valuable" services for vulnerable children and adults.

Leader Chris Read said the council had been "hit hard by the government's policy of austerity".

The increase means residents in a Band D property will pay an extra £67.49 a year, bringing their annual council tax bill to £1,754.73, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

More than half of homes in the Rotherham area are in Band A, meaning they pay the lowest rate of council tax, which will increase to just under £1,170.

Fire and police precepts will also be added onto this amount.

Mr Read said the increase was driven by energy bills, inflation and a national pay award the council had to fund for its staff.

"We are conscious of the cost of living crisis and as far as possible we wanted to mitigate those, particularly for people on low incomes," he added.