Overview
- Ministers authorised seven councils to exceed the usual 4.99% threshold without referendums, with Shropshire, Worcestershire and North Somerset allowed up to 9%, Trafford, Warrington and Windsor & Maidenhead up to 7.5%, and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole up to 6.75%.
- Many authorities are proposing the maximum 4.99% increase, including Birmingham, Bolton and Westmorland and Furness, with some pairing rises with fees, charges and savings to balance their books.
- Trafford plans a 7.49% rise for a second year, lifting its Band D share to £1,851, yet the council still expects to borrow about £16.5m and is in talks with the Government over further support.
- The moves sit within a three-year local government finance settlement of around £78bn that includes a £440m uplift to the recovery grant and a 90% write-off of historic SEND deficits, plus extra funding for homelessness and related services.
- Local leaders and residents voice concern over steep increases and uneven impacts, with sector bodies split over the funding model and fresh analysis highlighting regional disparities in council tax burdens.