Birmingham Council tax: what Brummies say about the maximum rise to bills

Birmingham City Council is set to increase council tax bills by 2.99 per cent
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Council tax is likely to be going up by 2.99 per cent in Birmingham with the local authority announcing its latest plans earlier this week.

But the update has not gone down well with readers.

And opposition leaders have accused the Birmingham City Council leadership of putting forward a “smoke and mirrors budget” which does not fully show how books will be balanced.

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The council published a draft budget for 2022/23 on Monday (January 17) which suggests increasing overall council tax by 2.99 per cent.

This includes a 1 per cent increase ringfenced for adult social care.

This means families will be paying between £34 and £105 more per year – while Band D properties will see bills rise from £1,748.19 to £1,800.46.

How does the increase in Birmingham compare to the rest of the country?

Council tax increases look set to vary across the country – with a number of councils including Derby, Leeds, Bristol and Stoke-on-Trent also suggesting a 2.99 per cent rise.

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But elsewhere, Worcestershire County Council looks set to raise council tax by 3.94 per cent while Telford and Wrekin will raise council tax by only 1 per cent.

What Brummies say about the plans to raise Council tax by the maximum amountWhat Brummies say about the plans to raise Council tax by the maximum amount
What Brummies say about the plans to raise Council tax by the maximum amount

What have Brummies said about the local council tax rise plans?

Birmingham readers have objected – with many critical of the council’s delivery of services such as bin collections.

You can see comments in our video at the top of the story.

In addition, Michael Sum posted on Facebook: “Awful when they can’t even do what they’re supposed to. Basics like roads and collecting bins.…”

John Crowley wrote: “They can’t even get the bins collected….. four weeks it took them. They need to give their heads a wobble.”

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Lisa-Jane Brueton wrote: “Always hit the working person. Imagine how many families who are already living in poverty [are] going to cope with the rises…. Shame on you.”

Beverley Rooney wrote: “Families are struggling. Jobs have been lost. Gas and electric has risen. Fuel risen. Car tax rising. Clean air zone charges bought in. And now council tax.

“Anything else you wanna cripple people with? Mental health. Poverty. Unemployment. Benefit claims all on the rise. Where is this going to stop – six feet under seems to be the only escape.”

Birmingham City Council HouseBirmingham City Council House
Birmingham City Council House

What have opposition groups said about the Birmingham Council tax rise plans?

Meanwhile the budget as a whole – which contains the suggestion of 100 redundancies – has come in for criticism from opposition group leaders.

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Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Jon Hunt (Lib Dem, Perry Barr): “More than ever, we have a “smoke and mirrors” budget, which seems to conceal deep problems within the council and should lead us to expect a flurry of unaffordable election promises.

“We are already seeing the council throwing large sums of money at fruitless attempts to solve problems of litter and flytipping, after years of neglecting and aggravating these problems by removing and cutting basic services.

“The next year’s budget is to be balanced by an unprecedented £144 million draw on the city reserves. In subsequent years, there remains shortfalls of at last £30 million. Only about a third of this appears to be due to the Commonwealth Games.

“Most worrying is the following statement in the budget document: ‘This draft budget will require some difficult decisions about service levels and provision both in 2022/23 and over the medium term.’ It is hard to see any transparency in this budget document about what these difficult decisions are.”

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The Conservative group raised concerns about “one-off plans” contained in the budget only for 2022/23 rather than longer term – such as cleaner streets and street scene initiatives.

Deputy group leader Cllr Ewan Mackey (Con, Sutton Roughley) said: “This Labour run council are refusing to show how they will balance their books before the election, which could leave residents facing the prospect of an ever-growing council tax bill to mop up their mess.

“Labour’s plan leaves residents facing a financial gap of £33 million which will see Brummies paying on average £124 each for ever-failing council services. This would be on top of the 44 per cent increase in council tax since Labour took control in 2012.

“Hard-working residents will be concerned that the administration is desperate to cling onto power so are refusing to come clean with the voters before the election.

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“If you read the new policies in the budget with a sharp eye you will see a number of one-off plans, that only last a year, instead of a long-term plan that works for residents, gets our streets clean and finally gets back to getting the basics right.”

Cllr Ian Ward. Leader of Birmingham City CouncilCllr Ian Ward. Leader of Birmingham City Council
Cllr Ian Ward. Leader of Birmingham City Council

What has the leader of Birmingham City Council said about the council tax rise plans?

Responding to the opposition groups, council leader Cllr Ian Ward (Lab, Shard End) said the draft has come about as a result of listening to the “people of Birmingham”.

He said: “Under Labour, Birmingham is preparing to host the Commonwealth Games, the biggest event that the city has ever hosted, and we’re attracting record levels of investment to deliver the homes, jobs and opportunities that people right across the city need.

“We will deliver a balanced budget and the council’s books are in the healthiest position they’ve been in for 30 years. As the independent Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) made clear, we ‘should be considered to be an exemplar in the transformation of financial management’.

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“We’ve listened to the people of Birmingham and we will deliver for them, as we focus on early intervention and prevention to level-up life chances to ensure that the benefits of growth are felt in every street, neighbourhood, and community.

“Both the Tories and Lib Dems forget the part they played in cutting 60p in every £1 from vital services that support Birmingham families. While they talk our city down, Labour is delivering a golden decade of opportunity for our people and communities.”

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