Salford city council has rubber-stamped a 4.99 per cent increase in council tax and set a budget of £244.5million for this coming financial year. Despite a ‘better than expected’ financial settlement from central government, the council needs to find £6m to bridge its budget gap for 2023/24.
The hike in council tax includes the 2pc adult social care precept permitted by central government. However, city mayor Paul Dennett has pledged that residents across the city would be shielded as much as possible from the effects of the cost of living crisis.
“The crisis in local government funding will continue to impact on services we deliver to our residents and tough choices inevitably remain,” he said. But he continued: “Now more than ever it is imperative that we use the council’s budget to support our residents, families and businesses and to ensure that we continue to provide those essential services and support that our residents rely on,” he told a full meeting of the city council.
“We continue to face a real contraction in our funding, whilst at the same time national government continues to expect councils up and down the country to hike council tax and the adult social care precept.” Mr Dennett also pledged a near-£89m in capital spending projects across Salford.
“We will continue to build houses, more than double our investment in the city’s roads and footpaths and of course build our investment in Eccles town centre,” he said. However, Mr Dennett painted a grim picture of the city council’s finances for the next two years with the authority facing a further £36m of cuts.
Nevertheless, the city mayor said he was ‘really pleased’ that additional funding for adults and children’s social care was at the very heart of the council’s budget proposals.
“Government increases in the social care grant, new funding in the form of the discharge grant, increases to the adult social care market sustainability and improvement funding will see an additional net investment of £11.9m into both adults and children’s social care here in Salford,” he said.
“This funding will help us to address delays in discharge, reduce social care waiting times, improve on the low fee rates historically paid to providers, address workforce retention issues.”
Mr Dennett said the city council would continue its commitment to ensure all care workers are paid at least the Real Living Wage [£10.90 per hour]. He also said there would be increases in fees paid to foster carers, adding: “These families provide safety and care to our most vulnerable children when they most need it.
"They help to give our cared for children the best possible start in life.” Meanwhile, the council voted down an amendment to the budget tabled by the opposition Conservative group.
Coun Arnie Saunders proposed that there should be no increase in the council tax, but the 2pc adult social care precept be retained. He also said there should be a deferral of the implementation of the council’s pay review in 2023/24 to begin in 2024/25.
The Conservatives also proposed a reduction in the size of the council’s communications team, which they said would lead to a reduction in the core budget of £309,000, and a reduction in the cost of living crisis fund of £2.75m ‘on the basis that all households will benefit from the proposed removal of the 2.99 per cent core council tax increase. Coun Saunders suggested the £25,000 support to the working class movement library should be removed.
In addition, he proposed there should be an increase in the frequency from three-weekly to fortnightly street cleaning at a cost of £600,000 and an investment in the provision of children’s crossings at a potential cost of £336,000.
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