Council tax set to rise in Rotherham and Barnsley

Council tax for people living in Rotherham is set to rise by 3.95% from April under new proposals being considered by the council.

The increase is made up of a 1.95% rise in core council tax and a 2% rise to support Adult Social Care and would see the annual bill for a Band D household rise by £73.89.

Meanwhile, in Barnsley council tax bills are expected to rise by 3.4%, meaning Band D bills would go up by about £64.

Local authorities in England have the power to raise the tax by up to 5% every year, but both councils said they were keen to support residents amid ongoing cost‑of‑living pressures.

Putting forward its budget proposals, Rotherham Council said it planned to invest an additional £8.6m in adult social care in 2026-27 to meet the rising demand and higher provider costs.

A further £4.8m is earmarked for children's social care to address rising placement costs, alongside funding for home-to-school transport and staffing pressures linked to pay and the Real Living Wage.

The authority also set out plans to fund an extra 10,000 places on the Healthy Holidays programme for children and young people, double its roadside cleaning budget and a fund a pilot to halve the cost of swimming for over 65s.

Council leader Chris Read said: "We remain acutely conscious of the cost of living pressures that so many of us are facing.

"So in setting council tax we have tried to balance those worries against the needs of local services.

"For the seventh successive year we are proposing an increase below the maximum allowable."

The proposals are due to be discussed by cabinet on 9 February, before being considered by full council in March, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In Barnsley, the council said the council tax rise comprises a core increase of up to 1.4% and a 2% rise to support Adult Social Care.

The budget includes cost-of-living support for pensioners, people receiving council tax support and care leavers, as well as £10.3m for highways maintenance, including money set aside to tackle potholes.

However, council papers show that the authority will need to use £6.8m from its reserves in order to balance the books.

Sir Steve Houghton, leader of Barnsley Council, said: "It's always a difficult decision, but by keeping [council tax] increases below the maximum at 3.4%, we're doing what we can to support household budgets.

"The Medium-Term Financial Strategy also outlines that the next three years are not going to be easy for local government or Barnsley.

"We'll be facing significant challenges due to increased demand pressures from Children and Adult Social Care, while considering the impact of national decisions.

"But we've always been a financially well-managed council, and we're taking early, proactive measures to try to provide stability in future years."

The budget proposals are due to be discussed by cabinet on 4 February before a final decision is made at full council on 26 February.

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