How much did the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agree to increase council tax in Wirral, Liverpool, St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton and Halton from the 1st April 2019?

How much did the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agree to increase council tax in Wirral, Liverpool, St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton and Halton from the 1st April 2019?

Mayor Steve Rotheram (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority) 1st February 2019

How much did the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agree to increase council tax in Wirral, Liverpool, St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton and Halton from the 1st April 2019?

                             

Mayor Steve Rotheram (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority) 1st February 2019
Mayor Steve Rotheram (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority) 1st February 2019

Last Friday afternoon, LCRCA (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority) Mayor Steve Rotheram (pictured above) proposed a budget for 2019-20 that included rises in council tax.

Although last year (2018-19), he had proposed a budget that included £0.00 on peoples’ council tax bills in the LCRCA area, this year the extra amounts for anywhere in the LCRCA area from 1st April 2019 are as follows:

Band A £12.67

Band B £14.78

Band C £16.89

Band D £19.00

Band E £23.22

Band F £27.44

Band G £31.67

Band H £38.00

Once proposed, his budget had to be agreed on Friday afternoon by others on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, such as the Leader of Wirral Council Cllr Phil Davies.

Although according to the LCRCA constitution councillors are supposed to raise their hands when voting for, against or abstaining, those on the LCRCA just murmured “agreed” instead.

The new council tax levels will run from 1st April 2019 to the 31st March 2020. Rises are also expected in the police, fire and council elements of council tax (although these matters have yet to be formally decided at the time of publication).

Video of the public meeting that decided on it can be viewed below.

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Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (Budget Meeting) 1st February 2019

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Author: John Brace

New media journalist from Birkenhead, England who writes about Wirral Council. Published and promoted by John Brace, 134 Boundary Road, Bidston, CH43 7PH. Printed by UK Webhosting Ltd t/a Tsohost, 113-114 Buckingham Avenue, Slough, Berkshire, England, SL1 4PF.

7 thoughts on “How much did the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agree to increase council tax in Wirral, Liverpool, St Helens, Knowsley, Sefton and Halton from the 1st April 2019?”

  1. Council Tax up again! Can some one tell me what i get for this tax i pay?
    The streets/roads surfaces are a disgrace the same with the pavements, the grids are blocked up causing flooding as of last week with the snow, the roads where gritted but the pavements left so a record number of people ended up in the A&E putting further strain on an over stretched health service, the street lights don’t work, bollards off islands missing, street signs missing, bins never collected, library’s closed, etc etc etc what am i paying for????????
    They should be reducing the tax!

    1. unfortunately we are now paying for Liverpool city region!

      Something none of us have voted for yet we now have the privilege of paying for more police in Liverpool and funding projects in Liverpool.

      Another WBC great idea full embraced by our deluded council leader

      And only a week or so ago they hold a meeting about spending money in the Wirral for the Wirral!

      1. Well people registered to vote in 2017 got a vote in 2017 for the new LCRCA Mayor. He’s the one who proposed this budget.

        The Leader of Wirral Council Cllr Phil Davies has decided to leave in May, so he won’t have to face the public in an election.

        £300,000 of the extra money is to be spent on the Wirral Borough of Culture Award. So it’s not just to be spent in Liverpool!

        As every cloud has a silver lining though nobody has to pay extra council tax because of the LCRCA budget until 1st April 2019 (April Fools Day).

        The Community Wealth Building Conference was at Birkenhead Town Hall, I was in the same room a few hours later curious as to what the flipchart asking people at the conference to mention CWB on Twitter were about!

  2. Beechwood, Runcorn. Cheshire.

    I agree with all that said in the above post. Not all roads were gritted in Runcorn.

    We never see a councillor. No information about the money for this new tax.

    The money for the Liverpool City Region…what is that money for and why were we not consulted. What a shambles is Halton Borough Council.

    1. Hi sogrot.

      Thanks for your comment.

      The money that the LCRCA plans to raise through the council tax (£7.675 million) is planned to be spent as follows in 19-20 on AFAIK staffing costs (this is a quote from the report to the meeting that decided it):

      Direct Mayoral Costs

      Cost of Mayor and Mayor’s Office £361,000

      Specified Programme Costs

      Tidal Energy Project £951,000
      Digital Connectivity Project £266,000
      Mayoral Transport Priorities £780,000
      Wirral Borough of Culture Award £300,000

      Direct Service Costs

      Policy and Future Devolution £1,597,000
      Employment and Skills £647,000
      Housing and Spatial Planning £287,000
      Commercial Development £759,000

      Corporate Management Costs

      Chief Executive’s Office £290,000
      Corporate Services £889,000
      Communication and Engagement £548,000

      Total £7,675,000

      I’ve no idea what the answer is to your point about consultation by the LCRCA in Halton. From memory there is usually a requirement to consult before setting council tax although I’m not sure how the LCRCA did this externally (rather than internally), but councillors from Halton would be on the LCRCA committees that have oversight of the LCRCA budget.

  3. Thanks, John.

    Interesting and most interesting. Good to know that citizens of Cheshire are forced to provide services for Liverpool…I’m very angry.

    Stuart.
    (sogrot)

    1. As the LCRCA is based in Liverpool City Centre I would guess that most of the jobs this funds are based there too in a building providing business rates to Liverpool City Council.

      The City of Liverpool also seems to receive a lot of funding from the LCRCA for projects too for example the funding to the changes to the Cruise Liner Terminal in Liverpool.

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