Council tax to increase by a whopping 5.58%

Council tax is set to rise across the borough by 5.58% for 2018/19.

In 2018/19, for Band A, the lowest band, this is equal to a £62.20 increase on last year. For Band H, the highest band, this amounts to a £186.62 increase.

If approved, the total amount that council tax will cost:

• Band A – £1,175.78
   
• Band B – £1,371.75
   
• Band C – £1,567.70
   
• Band D – £1,763.68 
   
• Band E – £2,155.60
   
• Band F – £2,5447.54
   
• Band G – £2,939.46
   
• Band H – £3,527.36

Part of a council tax bill – called a precept – is assigned to the Mayor of Greater Manchester to help fund the services he is responsible for.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/115574/annual-charge-to-be-added-to-council-tax-by-mayor-of-greater-manchester

The increase includes a rise for the Mayoral Police and Crime commissioner precept of £12, a £9 increase for the Mayoral General precept (including fire services), and a 2% Adult Social Care precept, which was introduced in 2017/18.

Council tax in Rochdale is currently the third highest across Greater Manchester, despite being one of the most deprived boroughs not just in Greater Manchester but in England.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/109213/council-tax-in-rochdale-higher-than-manchester

A council tax discount of 100% for foster carers and care leavers for those who live in the borough, recruited on or after 1 April 2017 and are looking after adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age, was approved last year.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/108556/the-childrens-society-thanks-council-for-pioneering-decision-to-exempt-care-leavers-from-council-tax

Leader of the council Allen Brett said: “We have kept the increase as low as we possibly can. We actually got the Mayor to reduce the precept earlier this week, so it is costing less than it would have.

“We have protected all the frontline services; no libraries are closing and no forced redundancies have been made.”

Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Councillor Andy Kelly said: “We were promised there would be no cost increase of having a mayor and we have now been imposed with ‘the Burnham tax’. I seriously hope that the £12 per household will result in an awful lot more officers on the beat, and I want to see how this translates into keeping our communities safer. Really, we are calculating how far the 2.99% rise will be gobbled up by the councillors’ 34% pay rise last year.

“The average person on a Living Wage will have to work an extra two days per year for the increase.”

Councillor Ashley Dearnley, leader of the Conservative party, commented: “The increase is in line with the government guidelines. I think we all want to see an improvement in police services as we need more police and an increase in the policing budget.”

The recommendation will be heard before the Budget Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (20 February) before it is referred to the Budget Council meeting on 11 March.