Wirral Council is set to increase its Council Tax by the maximum possible amount in April.
In papers produced for a crunch meeting of Wirral Council’s Policy and Resources Committee next Tuesday, it is forecast the local authority will raise Council Tax by 2.99%.
This is the most it can be raised by without a referendum.
READ MORE: Woman was offered '30 minutes of fun' in return for LFC final tickets
Many other councils, including Liverpool Council, are set to raise Council Tax by the same amount as local authorities try to shore up their finances following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
One section in the reports for the committee’s meeting on February 15 read: “[Wirral] Council has forecast to maximise the Council Tax increase at 2.99% each year for the rest of the medium term, along with growth in the number of premises; this is 1.99% Council Tax and 1% Adult Social Care precept.”
It is important to say that the authority's plans for Council Tax will not be finalised until its budget has been agreed by a full council meeting on February 18.
Despite the planned tax rise, Wirral Council is considering closing Woodchurch Leisure Centre, Europa Pools’ fun pool and two public golf courses, among other things, to help it save the £20m it needs to escape its budget black hole.
Earlier this month, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that people in Council Tax bands A to D will receive rebates funded by government grants. Those in lower bands will get more, an average of £150 per household.
In Wirral, 89% of households, 134,120 in total, are in bands A to D.
This will be welcome news for many, yet it will only go some of the way to easing what some have called a ‘cost of living crisis’.
Council Tax is just one bill that residents have to face, with a major increase in living costs triggered by rising energy prices, with millions set to pay £693 per year more from April.
To deal with this, the Chancellor has said households will get £350 to support them with their energy bills, yet some will be left feeling that this year will be a very difficult one for them and their finances.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
