Plans to increase council tax by five per cent in Nottingham would 'hit a lot of people', local residents have said. The city council is planning to raise council tax by the maximum amount allowed next year due to a funding gap of more than £30 million.
This would see an increase of 4.99 per cent for the next two years, starting in April 2023. The authority, which is also cutting 110 full time equivalent jobs, said it had faced some "difficult decisions".
Sheila Burden, a pensioner from Sneinton, said she was already struggling due to rising energy and food prices. The 75-year-old said of the tax hike: "They give with on hand and take away with the other, as always. We've got used to council tax going up every year but it's going to hit a lot of people this particular year. When there's so much poverty about.
Read more: Council tax in Nottingham set to rise by maximum amount amid £30 million funding gap
"It's swings and roundabouts, I just want for it to stop, for someone to say 'halt'. We've got to find the money from somewhere, something's got to go, the car or television. The council can come to us for money but where can we go? I'm already using savings and I can't claim anything. We've worked hard all our lives."
"I feel sorry for small businesses too, people haven't got the money to spend. It's very sad." Her partner, Tony Tiso, 62, added: "The crisis is going to be like this for a long, long time."
The new savings planned for next year are so far are worth £29 million and also include reviewing fees and charges at car parks, leisure centres and museums, withdrawing the wheelchair hire service at the Victoria Centre and stopping the collection of household bins put out on the wrong day.
Julian Jones, a 41-year-old HR worker who lives in West Bridgford, would not directly be affected by the increase as he lives outside of the city boundary. He added: "I can see both sides of it but it's disappointing. It's a concern if services are reduced as well. I feel for people who aren't able to afford it."
Alicia Palmer, a 52-year-old learning support assistant from Woodthorpe, added: "I don't have a problem with it. I understand costs have gone up. I think the services we have need to be invested in. I understand it's difficult for some people but money doesn't grow on trees.
"No-one could have predicted Covid and the war in Ukraine and the impact that's had. It's up to us as people to pay that little bit extra where we can."
For now, the council's current plans will be discussed at a public Executive Board meeting on Tuesday (December 20) at Loxley House. Councillor Adele Williams, the council's deputy leader and portfolio holder for finance, said: "Most councils up and down the country are facing significant financial difficulties, and once again we are faced with some really difficult decisions about how we balance our budget next year.
"We have also looked in this budget process for ways in which we can become more efficient and effective with each pound we spend for Nottingham. Demand continues to grow for vital services such as adult social care, which now makes up over a third of the council's entire budget."
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