Wigan council tax bills set to rise by almost five per cent - the biggest increase in many years

Wigan Council leader Dave Molyneux and his team insist the proposed hike “is not a decision we have made lightly” but is necessary to fund public services and address the budget deficit of £20.4m in the year ahead. The final decision on the budget and the 4.99 per cent tax rise will be confirmed once it has been approved by cabinet on February 16 and full council on March 1.

Speaking at a briefing ahead of the crunch vote, Coun Nazia Rehman, portfolio holder for finance at Wigan Council said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly, it is something the government has instructed us to do.

For Wiganers in Band A properties, it works out as £46.88 extra per year, less than one pound a week, according to council data.

“I’m not saying we are doing this with hands tied behind our backs, but it is looking as though we will be taking government guidance on this,” council leader Dave Molyneux said.

“The vast majority of councils across the country will be doing this as well. But what I am still confident about is that we will still have the lowest council tax in Greater Manchester.

“We may even have the lowest of all local authorities in the country. If we didn’t do this, it would certainly increase financial pressure.

“The way things are looking now there would be no ‘get out of jail free’ card from the government for funding if things go wrong. So we have to make the most of what we have.”

The breakdown of the tax spike will have a basic increase of 2.99 per cent and an additional two per cent Adult Social Care Council tax precept. A one per cent increase in council tax in Wigan would currently generate approximately £1.3m of permanent funding, a report found.

The report added that any decision not to increase Council Tax by the full amount would result in the council “foregoing permanent funding” from the government in future grant allocations.

“The big one for, not just for Wigan but nationally, is adult social care,” Coun Molyneux said. “The government actually said in a webinar that they accept it is significant and something they want to treat as a priority.

“They have just formed a new department called the Local Government Office to deal with this. That is a pressure on any local government and that cost is significantly rising.

“We are putting a lot of money into that so it doesn’t fall over and that it serves everybody.”

Paul McKevitt, director of resources and contracts, stated that the borough’s population is ageing faster than the national average and demand is growing for adult social care services.

This, alongside children’s services and schools, are going to be affected the most by this budget as it incorporates funding to help prevent future problems.

With children’s services that includes the current £37.5m plan to continue overhauling their structure and increase staff recruitment and retention.

For schools, a proposal to reduce admission numbers for schools with fewer pupils than they are capable of holding is currently in the works.

No cutting of current services, including the council-run leisure centres, no cuts to big infrastructure programmes like the £135m Galleries redevelopment in the town centre, as well as a focus on boosting apprenticeships and upskilling to create more jobs are all promises made by the council leader.

Coun Molyneux also revealed their free parking on a weekend for town centre car parks is here to stay.