Residents have had enough of council tax hikes, says MP

Sandwell Council is once again preparing to raise council tax from April - this time by almost four per cent. It will be the fifth consecutive rise.

Bosses at the Labour-run authority insist they need more cash from council tax in order to protect frontline services but Shaun Bailey, the newly-elected Conservative MP for West Bromwich West, believes that argument will now be wearing thin with residents, especially after it emerged Government funding had slightly increased for 2020/21.

Like others in the Black Country, Sandwell Council was hard hit by budget cuts during David Cameron's era of austerity but early signs suggest Boris Johnson is ready to loosen the purse strings.

The council's budget projection showed its Government settlement would rise by £2.2 million to £136m while a new adult social care grant would deliver an extra £7m.

The authority's plan is to increase bills by the maximum 1.99 per cent without holding a referendum, with another two per cent on top to help pay for adult social care. Bosses insist they still face challenges associated with historic budget cuts.

Mr Bailey said: "Ultimately residents have got to get value for money and I would question whether they are getting value for money at the moment.

"My residents are grafters and hard workers. The area gets by so council tax rises hit us hard. Four per cent might not sound a lot on paper but for some residents it's the difference between whether they have the heating on or not. And it's not a one-off. That is a real hit for them.

"I think residents will be saying 'why have I got to pay?' and I don't know why."

Mr Bailey said Sandwell had been "ignored for too long" and that he was pleased to see investment coming into the borough.

Reports this week suggested former Labour 'red wall' areas which fell to the Tories at the general election, including West Bromwich, could lose millions of pounds a year as part of a review of Government spending, but this was dismissed as "scaremongering" by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.

Councillor Wasim Ali, head of core services at Sandwell Council, said: “Although we’re not expecting any Government cuts to our funding this year, we’re still running the council with around £180 million less each year than we did back in 2010.

“And demand for our services is getting greater – especially in adult social care, children’s social care and special needs transport. These are challenges for councils across the country.

“So, although we’re not cutting council budgets this year, we have no choice but to put up council tax if we are to protect and fund vital services. We have kept the proposed rise as low as can."