Fears that council tax rise will cause hardship for families as bills in Calderdale set to increase by almost five per cent

The council’s ruling Cabinet, while acknowledging the struggles some residents were having through the cost of living crisis, insisted that reduced finances from central Government had left them with no alternative if services are not to be cut to balance the books.

Calderdale councillors will now be recommended to approve a 4.99 per cent increase in Council Tax when they meet on February 27 to set the authority’s budget for 2023-24.

The council’s Cabinet met to consider more than 100 responses from the public as well as the views of its scrutiny boards on the issue.

Some of the responses say the rise will cause them financial hardship.

One said: “I cried when I saw the increase would be five per cent because it is hard to manage.”

Another wrote: “How can I support an increase in rates when I am cutting back on food and often sitting in a house with no heating on because I cannot afford to pay for everything.”

“Things are hard as it is and I can’t afford anything now – putting this up will kill us,” said another respondent.

Some respondents were critical of the level and quality of services, some others saying rises were necessary to prevent services from being cut.

Deputy Leader of the Council, Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said in the past councils got proportionately larger settlements from central Government departments, with Council Tax and the income Calderdale got from, for example, from car parking and leisure centres was a lesser proportion of money it had available to spend.

But that had changed, she said.

“What we have seen is a shift towards having to depend much more on the Council Tax income and much less on the money from central Government because that has been dropped down every year for the last 12 years.

“So actually we are looking at local council taxpayers to take the burden of actually keeping services going.

“It is a shift from the spending coming from national taxation, that we all share in, to local taxation.

“It’s that shift from national to local that’s really very difficult and I really feel for people, as we come forward with five per cent Council Tax,” she said.

"I really feel for people who are struggling with the cost of living at the moment.”

Leader of the Council, Coun Tim Swift (Lab, Town) said another key factor was the increasing proportion of the council’s budget – now around two thirds – needed to fund social care services the council legally has to provide.

The council does have a Council Tax reduction scheme to help those who are most seriously affected.

Meanwhile The Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has announced a 6.78% increase in council tax to support the work of police in the county.

The agreed rise to the police element of the council tax (the police precept) means that most people will pay between 19p and 26p extra per week.