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.
