A real terms cut in council tax has been agreed by the Kirklees Cabinet at its meeting of February 4.The proposal will now go to the budget meeting of the Full Council on Wednesday February 19 for a decision.
Council Leader Cllr Mehboob Khan, said: “Freezing council tax is not an ideal step as it equates to a loss in income, however the council is mindful that the recession is hitting local households hard and that this freeze will help alleviate the pressure in the short term.
“Local people have experienced price rises across all aspects of daily life including food, fuel and other costs and we are doing all we can to help them through this period of financial squeeze.
“Despite taking this action we will still be in a position to prioritise funding in coming years on health and social care, apprentices, jobs and the economy which are absolutely essential to the future of the area and the wellbeing of its residents.”
The budget report outlines required savings of £129 million a year from 2010 to 2017. More than £62 million has already been identified, and the report to Cabinet proposed how a further £21 million could be saved in 2014/15.
The budget proposals have been the subject of a six week consultation in which 10,000 residents made their views known.
Cllr Khan added: “The future is going to be tough and we have already used resources to balance the cuts this year whilst trying to plan services for the next three years. The results of the recent consultation have been useful to show what people would like to see protected and we will do what we can during this period of severe financial constraints.”
The freeze will affect the Kirklees Council part of the council tax bill – the Police Commissioner and West Yorkshire Fire Authority have yet to formally determine their position.
