Council tax is set to rise by 2.99 per cent in Tameside from April, which will see residents pay at least £31 more a year.

Members of the executive cabinet have agreed to increase the amount people in the borough pay for the next financial year to help plug a £3 million budget gap.

The bill increase will be split between 1.99 per cent for council tax and one per cent which is ring-fenced to be spent on adult social care.

This means that Band A properties, which make up the majority of homes in Tameside, will pay an extra £31.97 before Mayoral precepts are added on top.

The council is also planning to make £7.6 million worth of cuts and savings in 2022/23.

Cabinet member for finance, Councillor Oliver Ryan, said that they were being forced to take further measures to set a balanced budget.

“It does require more cuts which is unfortunate given the situation with Covid and all of the work that has been done by services and officers over the past year,” he told councillors.

“But because of the situation the government wants us to deal with it makes our situation more precarious.

“Every year we’re having to squeeze and squeeze, and we have done since 2010, to try and make up that amount that government has cut away.

“Council tax is just a really detrimental way of funding local services, we know it’s unfair and the government knows it’s unfair.

“There is an assumption made for the next three years that all councils will put up council tax to the maximum extent as we’ve done here with 1.99 and then use an adult social care precept to fund essential services.”

He added: “They give us less and less money and try to pass the blame on to us.

“This is very, very difficult. It’s probably the most difficult budget we’ve had to do. It’s a huge challenge.”

Kathy Roe, director of finance, said there needed to be a ‘relentless focus’ on delivering savings.

She added: “This is going to prove to be another difficult and challenging budget round despite further government funding towards increased pay and inflationary costs, which is great, it unfortunately doesn’t go anywhere near the increases in demand and the needs of our local population.”

The budget documents state there will be £450,000 worth of savings in the council’s sport and leisure departments in 2022/23.

And the removal of the staffing budget for the Museum of
Manchester Regiment in Ashton will save £20,000.

A major saving in the next financial year will be through reducing the numbers of children in care, by which bosses are aiming to claw back £1.25m.

Council leader Brenda Warrington said: “We recognise and we note the challenges ahead of us and I’m sure we will continue to work with those challenges with a view to defeating them.”

The budget will need to be voted on by all councillors at the next meeting of the full council.

Read more from the Tameside Reporter

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper