People in Wokingham area face a council tax increase
4.99% increase and ÂŁ6.2m in savings amongst measures to balance budget
Last updated 18th Feb 2021
Wokingham Borough Council has announced plans for a 4.99 per cent rise in 2021/22, meaning people living in Band D properties will see their annual bill rise to ÂŁ1,620.14.
According to the council, 3 per cent of that increase will generate income that can only be spent on caring for elderly and vulnerable adults.
Additional precepts that raise money for the Thames Valley Police, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue and your local parish council will also be added to that bill.
The tax rise is due to be approved when the Conservative-run council sets a budget of ÂŁ132 million all of the services it provides in 2021/22, at a meeting later today.
The council is legally required to set a balanced budget for services each year, but unlike most other councils it has not received a government grant for this budget since 2017.
That means around 85 per cent of council services are now funded by council tax.
It has had to find savings of ÂŁ6.2 million for 2021/22, by reviewing the management of various services and increasing charges for some services, such as car parking at country parks and garden waste bins.
According to council leaders, none of these changes will have a significant impact on front-line services and it has no plans to make any council staff redundant.
The council has seen demand for costly services increase during the Covid-19 pandemic and has lost out on millions of pounds of revenue, after being forced to shut car parks and leisure centres.
The government has provided the council with more than £9.2 million of emergency funding to help it cope with the impact of Covid-19 so far – but that is not enough to cover all the council’s losses.
The council has been forced to dip into emergency savings, known as reserves over the last year. In March 2021, the council had ÂŁ12.4 million of reserves. It now has around ÂŁ9.9 million.
Cllr John Kaiser, executive member for finance, said:
“I’ve found it extremely challenging to ensure the needs of our vulnerable are met and at the same time make sure the council acts responsibly with its financial resources.
“Fortunately, we came into the pandemic with a strong financial standing created through years of taking a robust and solid business-like approach.
“This has provided income critical to funding our response.”
The council is also set to approve plans to invest ÂŁ445.5 million in a range of projects designed to improve Wokingham over the next three years.
That includes ÂŁ160 million for repairing and upgrading roads, ÂŁ156 million to support the housing and the local economy and ÂŁ71 million to reduce carbon emissions.
In neighbouring West Berkshire, the council says it will only increase council tax by 1.99 per cent this year, because a high number of Covid-related care home deaths has caused demand for council-funded care to fall.
Wokingham Borough Council says it is in a different position, because it has a much larger elderly population, more care homes and growing demand for council-funded adult social care.