Will council tax rise by 5.98% for Wirral residents from 2018-19?
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Budget Cabinet (Wirral Council) 19th February 2018 Part 1 of 2
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Budget Cabinet (Wirral Council) 19th February 2018 Part 2 of 2
The author of this piece declares a financial interest in that my wife is liable to pay council tax to Wirral Council for a residential property we both live in on the Wirral.
The piece was possible because of a collaboration with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ).
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the overall increase was 5.2%, when it is in fact 5.98%. This was corrected at 19:22 on the 21.2.18 by JB.
Wirral Council’s Cabinet on Monday morning (19th February 2018) agreed to recommend a 5.99% rise in the Wirral Council element of council tax for 2018-19. You can watch video clips of that public meeting above.
The recommendation has been made to another public meeting of all Wirral Council councillors that meets on the 5th March 2018 starting at 6.00 pm in the Council Chamber at Wallasey Town Hall. The Cabinet recommendation will form Labour’s proposals, which as 38 of the 65 Wirral Council councillors are Labour Party councillors are expected to be agreed on March 5th.
The budget proposals from the opposition parties are not known at this stage, although there are usually proposals each year from the Conservative councillors and Liberal Democrat councillors too. It is unknown whether the sole Green Party councillor on Wirral Council Councillor Pat Cleary will propose a budget this year.
In addition to the Wirral Council element of council tax, there are also elements (called precepts) for police, fire and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) have decided to set a £NIL amount for 2018-19, the amount for the police goes up by a further £12 for band D when compared to 2017-18 (with proportionately lower increases for bands A-C and proportionately higher increased for bands E to H).
The fire element will be set by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority (MFRA) when it meets tomorrow afternoon. However it is expected that MFRA will increase it by 2.99%.
Overall, the combined effect of the Wirral Council element*, LCRCA element, fire element* and police element if proposals for Wirral Council and fire are unchanged, will lead overall to a 5.98% rise in council tax for Wirral Council residents compared to this year.
*These are yet to be finally decided.
These of course are the maximum amounts people may pay on the Wirral, many people will be entitled to a reduced amount and some may even have no council tax liability at all.
Below are the tables. The Wirral Council element is at the recommendation (but not final stage). The fire element will be decided on Thursday afternoon, the police element has already been decided at an earlier meeting of the Merseyside Police and Crime Panel.
There may however be a penny difference in the figures below (which may lead to a total rounding error of three pence) as bands A-C and F-H are set relative to band D. If these amounts do not come to a whole number of pence, then other bands may need slight adjustments up or down to come to the right total amount.
2018-19 Council Tax Proposals (Wirral)
| Wirral Council* | Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority** | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority | Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ |
| A | 986.13 | 51.04 | 0.00 | 118.65 | 1,155.82 |
| B | 1,150.48 | 59.55 | 0.00 | 138.42 | 1,348.45 |
| C | 1,314.84 | 68.05 | 0.00 | 158.20 | 1,541.09 |
| D | 1,479.19 | 76.56 | 0.00 | 177.97 | 1,733.72 |
| E | 1,807.89 | 93.57 | 0.00 | 217.52 | 2,118.98 |
| F | 2,136.60 | 110.59 | 0.00 | 257.07 | 2,504.26 |
| G | 2,465.32 | 127.60 | 0.00 | 296.62 | 2,889.54 |
| H | 2,958.38 | 153.12 | 0.00 | 355.94 | 3,467.44 |
* not yet finally decided, recommendation made from Cabinet to public meeting of Council on the 5th March 2018 (figures are from Labour Budget)
** not yet decided, will be decided at a public meeting on the 22nd February 2018 but based on recommendations to meeting
The rises in council tax (once decided) will have effect for the 2018-19 local government year which runs from the 1st April 2018 to the 31st March 2019.
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