Council tax set to rise to help plug budget gap - bills will increase for Tameside residents by at least £31

Council tax is set to rise by around 3pc in Tameside from April which will see residents pay at least £31 more a year.

Members of the executive cabinet have agreed to increase the amount people in the borough pay for the next financial year to help plug a £3 million budget gap.

The bill increase will be split between 1.99pc for council tax and 1pc which is ring-fenced to be spent on adult social care.

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This means that Band A properties, which make up the majority of homes in Tameside, will pay an extra £31.97 before Mayoral precepts are added on top.

The council is also planning to make £7.6m worth of cuts and savings in 2022/23.

Cabinet member for finance, Councillor Oliver Ryan said that they were being forced to take further measures to set a balanced budget.

“It does require more cuts which is unfortunate given the situation with Covid and all of the work that has been done by services and officers over the past year,” he told councillors.

“But because of the situation the government wants us to deal with it makes our situation more precarious.

“Every year we’re having to squeeze and squeeze, and we have done since 2010, to try and make up that amount that government has cut away.

“Council tax is just a really detrimental way of funding local services, we know it’s unfair and the government knows it’s unfair.

“There is an assumption made for the next three years that all councils will put up council tax to the maximum extent as we’ve done here with 1.99 and then use an adult social care precept to fund essential services.”

He added: “They give us less and less money and try to pass the blame on to us.

“This is very, very