A local council could raise council tax bills by up to 25 per cent to prevent bankruptcy. Leaders at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) have proposed an eye-watering 25 per cent hike as part of draft budget plans.
The issue is set to be discussed by councillors on RBWM’s corporate overview and scrutiny panel on Monday. The Liberal Democrats and independent council leaders have asked the government for permission to increase council tax beyond the usual cap of 4.99%.
The draft budget said: “Without a significant council tax increase above the capped level, aligned more closely with the borough’s neighbouring areas, the council is unable to reach financial sustainability.”
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Lynne Jones, the councillor responsible for finance, said the council was working to ‘right the errors of the past’. But she added: “We know we also need to increase council tax bills which are currently so far below those of our neighbouring councils to provide the services residents need.”
The council’s residents currently pay about £1,700 a year in council tax for a Band D property. It would mean a £425 rise. Speaking in December RBWM’s deputy chief executive Kevin McDaniel said this means the council is having to draft spending plans without knowing for sure that it will have the money to fund them.
The final budget will be voted on at a meeting of all councillors on March 5. Richard Micallef said while he could afford the increase, the prospect of it happening was “annoying”. “Windsor is all about tourism,” he said. “They forget the people that live here. The locals are forgotten about.
“They don’t seem to look after the roads, they’re just basically not looking after anything… everything seems to be collapsing but they all want more money. When are they going to start looking after the people that live here rather than worrying about the people that want to visit here?”