Opposition parties have accused Nottinghamshire County Council of showing a 'failure of leadership' by proposing a tax rise of at least £50 for all households. Ben Bradley MP, the leader of the Conservative-controlled authority, said that the council is planning a tax increase of 4.84% for the next financial year, starting in April.
Councillor Bradley said the action needed to be taken given inflationary pressures, which he said had seen the authority face extra costs of £25 million over the last year. Without the tax rise and internal savings, including the reduction of council buildings down from 17 to nine, Councillor Bradley added that there would have been a financial gap of £35 million at the county council over the next three years.
But Councillor Kate Foale, who leads the Labour Party at the county council, said: "After a decade of austerity and £300 million pounds of cuts to the county council's budget, we still have no plan from Government on how to properly fund local public services like social care, and this council tax rise will not fix the problems that has created. At County Hall the Conservatives have a choice.
