Council tax in Rotherham to increase by 3.5 per cent – as social care costs swallow up budget

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s cabinet has proposed the increase, equivalent to an extra £61.42 for a band D property per year.

The council tax bill for a band D home will rise from £1,754.73 to £1,816.15 if the proposals are agreed.

A budget report states: “The proposed increase will help to support the delivery of valuable frontline services, particularly services for vulnerable children and adults at a time when demand for these services continues to increase.”

The rise is made up of a 1.5 per cent increase in the basic rate of council tax and two per cent to pay for adult social care – which is experiencing ‘significant pressures’.

A budget report states that the pressures are ‘out of the council’s control,’ and are down to ‘rising demand pressures and staff shortages’, as well as residents’ increasingly complex needs and an ageing population.

As well as the increase in the adult social care precept from ratepayers, RMBC proposes to provide an extra £7.5m funding for adult social services this year.

The weekly cost of residential care for older people will increase by six per cent – from £668.18 per week to £708.30.

RMBC is set to use to use £2.3m of its £62.6m reserves to plug the £6m gap between its income and outgoings.

The rest will be made up from an increase in fees and charges for services such as parking, weddings, facilities hire, licensing applications and pest control.

Finance bosses say the gap is due to demand for children’s residential placements, home-to-school transport, inflation, and increased demand for homelessness services.

It adds that the reserve is ‘not cash that is free to spend, it is simply cashin the council’s bank as a result of the timing between funding/incomearriving into the council’s account and being physically spent’.

Councillor Chris Read, Rotherham Council leader, said: “Residents and families across the borough have been having a tough time. Inflation is still high. And we have to make responsible decisions at a time when councils across the country are laying off staff and having to make cuts to services.

“But because of the difficult choices we have made over the last few years, we are able to bring forward budget proposals that put the needs of Rotherham’s families first. Too many children in our borough are going without, and too many parents are struggling to make ends meet. So we are stepping up our efforts to support them, with more money for children’s centres and youth work, as well as improving free activities that are open to everyone.

“In the same way, we have heard the concerns of residents about our roads and pavements, so we can announce a further major four-year programme of investment. And we want to continue to invest in additional street cleaning and local schemes to improve the appearances of our neighbourhoods, halve the price of household bulky waste collections and continue to crack down on people who blight our communities with litter and fly-tipping.

“By continuing to make prudent choices we can continue to support residents with social care needs and to invest in the future of our borough. However, while we are doing that we will continue to urge the government to put in place a sustainable funding programme for councils everywhere, recognising the different needs and circumstances of different parts of the country, so that residents can have confidence that services can be maintained for the long term.”

The council’s budget proposals will be considered by cabinet on Monday 12 February and go before full council on Wednesday 28 February