Planned tax hikes 'unavoidable', council says

Cornwall Council has insisted proposals to increase people's council tax bills by 4.99% is unavoidable.

It is one of the measures the council is planning to help raise extra revenue and plug a £50m gap in its budget for the coming financial year.

The authority said it would look to make efficiency savings while investing in and protecting key frontline services, including caring for vulnerable children and adults.

A four-week consultation has begun for people to share their thoughts before the final budget is agreed next month.

Councils legally have to produce a balanced budget each year and are not allowed to borrow money for day-to-day spending.

Councillor Leigh Frost, the Liberal Democrat leader of the council, admitted the hike in bills was "not great" but insisted "we can't avoid them" because of rising costs.

"The council is not immune to inflation," he said.

"The general taxation budget is 2.99% - that's less than inflation.

"Then there's 2% ring-fenced for adult social care and I've not yet heard anyone say that they don't want us to invest in adult social care."

Independent Councillor Adam Paynter, portfolio holder for resources, admitted transforming how the council works would be key to saving money.

"We are looking at data, we're looking at AI and how we can streamline our processes to make sure it works more efficiently and better for the customer," he explained.

Opposition parties fear frontline services could be impacted if the savings are not found.

Councillor Paul Ashton, Reform UK group leader, said: "Although we're fairly confident, it's still going to be quite difficult to achieve.

"What if we can't achieve those savings? How are you going to manoeuvre into a new plan," he questioned.

Other proposals include a rise in cost of bulky and garden waste collections, and saving money by making some of the council's car parks cashless.

The leader of the Conservative group on the council, Councillor Connor Donnithorne, said: "It's going to save very little money. It's going to cause a massive nuisance for a lot of people - particularly our elderly residents, particularly those who are digitally excluded."

The council said its draft budget proposals would be open to public consultation until 27 January before a final vote by all elected members in February.

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