Councillors for Wigan confirmed that tax will rise by 4.99 per cent after a majority vote came in following four hours of debate.
The town hall was packed out on the first day of March for the first full council meeting of 2023 - where the main topic of discussion was the budget. Speeches from members of the cabinet took up a large proportion of the spectacle as they gave not-so-brief synopses on the success of 2022 and what the tax rise would help maintain.
No cuts to services or council jobs, maintenance of leisure facilities, a funding boost for child and adult social care, an ‘ambitious’ social housing programme and a plan to tackle damp and mould in council-owned homes were all dependent on this tax rise, the chamber heard.
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Coun Nazia Rehman, Portfolio holder for Finance, Resources and Transformation, was the first of leader Coun David Molyneux’s team to speak on the budget. It was clear where she felt the blame for the financial crisis lay with her opening remarks.
“We found ourselves dominated by the worst cost of living crisis in generations,” Coun Rehman said. “We’ve had three Prime Ministers, a handful of chancellors and a disastrous mini-budget.
“I have no pleasure delivering this budget tonight. I’m proud of Wigan Labour who have responded to the predicament we have found ourselves in.”
Ending her speech, she spoke directly to the residents of the borough: “You are not alone, our hard working staff and elected representatives are here for you if you need our help. We are on your side.”
Deputy leader Coun Keith Cunliffe, legendary for his long speeches in the chamber, was the last up as he hit home how important this tax rise was for maintaining adult social care. The 4.99 per cent tax rise incorporates a 2.99 per cent increase in the General rate of council tax and a two per cent rise for the adult social care precept.
Coun Cunliffe told the chamber that by 2040 the population of 65+ people in Wigan will have increased by 60 per cent. This means there will be more people with additional needs for care - increasing pressure on adult social care services, the meeting heard.
The tax rise is still “far inadequate to deal with the problem in adult care”, councillors were told. Coun Cunliffe believed the Government should cough up the money themselves and that it was “unfair and disadvantageous” to the taxpayers of Wigan to front the bill.
Although they complimented the Labour-run council on their success of 2022, Coun Stuart Gerrard, leader of the Independent Alliance as part of the Independent Network, was concerned about the multi-million pound redevelopment in Wigan town centre. Coun Gerrard, echoing many comments from other independent members, questioned why money was so tight and tax ‘needed to rise’ when £135 million was being spent on the Galleries.
“At the moment they’re knocking the Galleries down for £135 million,” he said. “In real man's terms if the council tax rise goes through tonight - they could’ve frozen it for 30+ years [if they didn’t go ahead with the Galleries project].
“You can’t say you’re Labour when you’re going along with this. I can’t vote to go along with this council tax rise when you’re going ahead with stupid projects.”
His Independent Network colleague Coun James Watson has previously stated how this was not the time to raise taxes as bills are already sky high and the poorest in the borough would suffer. During the debate, Coun Watson suggested this is what the council’s reserves are for, a rainy day, and the council leader himself previously stated “it is pouring it down” at the moment.
After the barrage of trashing the Conservative government from the heavily Labour council in the chamber, the Tory leader Coun Steven Evans even admitted he was “very frustrated with the government”. This was greeted with loud cheers and applause from a majority of members.
“How about instead of pointing the finger and turning it into a Punch and Judy show, we work together and sit down and share ideas,” Coun Evans suggested. “Rather than take part in the same cliches as happens in Westminster.”
Both the Independent Alliance and the Conservatives proposed amendments to the budget which mainly incorporated small infrastructure changes to wards largely controlled by their own individual parties. These were both soundly squashed by the large Labour force in attendance.
As the debate roared on, a letter from the secretary of state, sent to the Leigh MP James Grundy was read aloud by Coun Edward Houlton, deputy leader for the Conservatives, stating that the council was not 'under instruction from government' to raise council tax by 4.99% as the cabinet has suggested. In her later rebuttal, Coun Rehman simply stated that it was the Conservatives who caused this problem in the first place, and questioned where the £6.2 million promise for adult social care had gone.
The notorious Coun Bob Brierley, Independent member for Hindley Green, managed to get his say after numerous shouts for a ‘point of order’ that went unheard. In his time in the spotlight he asked where the council’s money was going, suggesting dishonesty in where it was being spent, before suggesting a radical new adult social care scheme that would involve putting older people in static caravans.
Coun Brierley claimed this would be “cheaper to run” for the council - something he saw as a solution to the money troubles that led to the 4.99 per cent tax rise. Like many of Coun Brierley’s suggestions in the chamber that night, this was disregarded by the cabinet.
When the vote finally came just before the 10pm mark, it was passed by the majority of members in attendance.
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