Warrington signs off 7.48% council tax rise

Council tax will rise by 7.48% in Warrington from April after councillors backed the authority's latest budget for the coming financial year.

The budget also includes £40m of cuts and millions of pounds worth of borrowing to balance the books.

Warrington Council was given permission by the government to increase council tax by a higher than usual amount. It has also been granted exceptional financial support to allow it to borrow money to cover some day-to-day expenditure.

The council's member for finance, Denis Matthews, said he knew people were concerned about the impact of an additional tax increase, adding the local authority had a "lot to do to restore trust in our communities".

Warrington Council has faced challenges over its finances in recent years.

Ministerial envoys were appointed by the government last year after long-running concerns over the council's financial position.

It had accrued up to £1.9bn of debt, mainly due to its commercial investment programme.

Those debts are now just below £1.4bn.

The council's latest budget includes £40m of savings over the next four years, including a controversial plan to stop live monitoring of the town centre's CCTV control room.

Cheshire's Chief Constable Mark Roberts raised concerns and said he thought it was "likely" it would lead to an increase in crime.

Presenting the budget, Matthews said it would "start the process of moving our council in a more positive direction".

He added: "It'll draw a line in the sand and move us forward to a more simplified future."

In relation to the council tax increase, Matthews said although it was going up by more than the usual amount, residents should be "assured the vast majority of contributions would go towards helping the most vulnerable" members of society.

He said it was his personal view that it was "not reasonable for any council to hold debt to the level we do".

"While mistakes of the past are clearly acknowledged, now I'd say the point is to work co-operately as Warrington councillors," he said.

Ian Marks, leader of the Liberal Democrat group and opposition on the council, asked why the local authority's finances were "in such a mess", when the town was a "great success".

He cited a recent report from the Centre for Cities think tank which highlighted the area's economic growth.

Marks said there was "no escaping the fact our financial situation is unbelievably difficult".

But he warned huge savings had been identified with "no clear understanding" of how they would come about because they depended on reviews that were yet to take place.

"I worry some of the savings are wishful thinking," he said.

Marks also highlighted the roles of the government envoys that have been assisting the council.

"The budget is the envoys' budget and they're acting like commissioners," he said.

"The absolute worst case has been put forward."

On behalf of the independent group, Stuart Mann said the situation was "a crisis".

"For most residents it's incredibly difficult to grasp just how serious this is," he said.

"This is not incremental change, this is a defining financial moment for our borough."

Conservative group leader Rob Tynan said it had taken the appointment of envoys for the council's ruling Labour group to "wake up".

He said the Tories could not support a budget that was "designed to save the face of a Labour administration that has discredited itself".

Meanwhile, Labour's Nathan Sudworth said he wanted to apologise to local residents.

"I am sorry the council did not meet its best value duty, and I'm sorry our governance wasn't as strong as it should have been and our scrutiny wasn't as good as it should have been and I am sorry we're now going to have to make these decisions," he said.

Sudworth said he knew some residents were "sceptical" and that uncertainty could "seem really daunting".

"I know the council has a really long way to regain your trust - there are no easy answers, but I hope following this improvement and recovery journey you can trust us again," he said.

Both the Liberal Democrats and independent councillors were given a free vote on the budget by their groups.

A total of 40 councillors voted in favour of the budget, with 17 members against.

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