Council tax bills to rise by five per cent in Calderdale as councillors agree 'robust budget' for 2023/24 - here's what you will pay

There will be no cuts to services, but that is dependent on the 4.99 per cent rise – the 2.99 per cent rise and an extra two per cent ring-fenced for social care – which the Government is allowing councils to make without having to hold a local referendum on the issue, said council leader Tim Swift.

And in a late addition to the Labour budget approved by a majority of councillors last night (Monday), £180,000 has been earmarked to deliver a 100 per cent Council Tax exemption for foster carers.

Coun Swift (Lab, Town) said this was an invest to save proposal to help attract more foster carers to look after children, which in turn should reduce the number of very high cost external placements currently needed.

Coun Swift said the ruling Labour group had three principles, to maintain front-line services without cuts, to ensure social care was funded and to deliver a balanced budget that also had “prudent provision” for 2024-25 and 2025-26 in uncertain times.

This was against a background of coming out of Covid, the cost of living crisis, high inflation, rising energy bills, rising construction prices, significant falls in revenue from sources such as car parking, and the impact of the war in Ukraine.

Years of grant cuts and fallout from “disastrous” decisions of the national Liz Truss Prime Ministership also affected what the council could do, he said.

Headroom in the £197 million budget of around £700,000 also means the council will also be able to increase housing standards enforcement – in the aftermath of the death of Rochdale toddler Awaab Ishak amid wider poor quality housing concerns – and also give some help to early years education providers.

Coun Swift said: “The problem councils face this year is that simply to stand still a Council Tax rise is inevitable.

“When you add to that increased demand on services, particularly social care, then an increase in Council Tax is unavoidable – the alternatives would be too great,” he said.

The 4.99 per cent Council Tax levy would still be significantly less than inflation, said Coun Swift.

His Deputy Leader, Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said theirs was a serious administration which had made “wise” decisions and Calderdale was ambitious council, shown by the initiative on Council Tax exemption for foster carers.

The budget, she said, “gives us a real foundation as we go forward.”

The Conservatives acknowledged Government nationally had signalled to councils they should levy a 4.99 per cent Council Tax rise and wanted to use headroom and savings or money raised by re-assessing staffing, or money raised by commercialisation including hiring out Halifax Town Hall and other public buildings for weddings and events, changing how recycling collections are made and transferring Halifax’s Victoria Theatre to a trust to bolster the council’s balances which Coun Steven Leigh’s (Con, Ryburn) group said were among the lowest in metropolitan districts.

Coun James Baker (Lib Dem, Warley) described the budget as “vanilla…it’s a bit dull” and thought it should show more ambition.

The Liberal Democrat budget would have only seen Council Tax rise by 3.99 per cent. But amendments from the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were defeated.

Now the budget has been approved, the basic amounts each Council Tax Band will pay for their services next year, inclusive of the social care levy and levies requited by West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the police and fire authorities precepts are as follows:

Band A: £1,380.80;

Band B, £1,610.93;

Band C, £1,841.07;

Band D, £2,071.20;

Band E, £2,531.47;

Band F, £2,991.72;

Band G, £3,452.00;

Band H, £4,142.40;

People who live in areas which have town or parish councils – Blackshaw, Erringden, Hebden Royd, Heptonstall, Todmorden, Ripponden, Stainland and District and Wadsworth – will pay higher amounts to take into account the levies set by those authorities.

Single occupancy households will pay slightly less when single occupier discount is applied.

The majority of Calderdale homes are in Band A.