Council tax to increase by four per cent for Rotherham residents

Residents in a Band D property will pay an extra £67.49 per year, bringing their annual council tax bill to £1,754.73.

Without this increase, RMBC say they would have to make cuts in excess of £10 million.

The increase is made up of a two per cent increase in council tax, plus a two per cent increase in the precept to pay for adult social care.

The total four per cent rise is below the five per cent maximum councils can hike council tax by each year.

The proposed increase will raise an additional £4.8m to be split between council services and funding increased costs in providing adult social care.

RMBC’s 2023/24 budget proposal states that the council has had to make more than £200m in savings, due to the impact of austerity measures, and “the impact of the 10 years of significant reductions in Government funding that followed.”

The council is also set to use £8.4m of its reserves, to “manage and mitigate the impact of factors” outside its control.

Why is this council tax rise needed, and what else is going to cost more?

A report to RMBC’s cabinet states that the council, like others up and down the country, is facing “financial pressures”, due to reductions in government funding, increased demand for social care, rising costs within the care sector and the impact of inflation and rising energy costs.

Adult social care is placing a huge pressure on the budget, as the service is experiencing “escalating cost pressures”, due to “a rise in complexity of people’s needs”.

The cost of providing adult social care in Rotherham is expected to increase by £12m this year, which will partially be covered by the rise in the adult social care levy, which will raise an additional £2.4m toward this cost.

Mental health services are also facing pressures, due to a rise in acute admissions and people experiencing “high levels of need”.

Care fees

Of the 1,607 care home beds, approximately 35 per cent are financially supported by the Council.

Fees will be increased to cover wage increases for staff, reduce staff turnover, and cover increased energy bills.

Residential home fees, which are currently set at £550 per week, will rise to £606.

Nursing care fees will also rise from £565 per week to £622.

Children and young people’s services

RMBC is facing “cost overruns” in children’s social care due to placement costs and incresed emand for home to school transport.

Finance bosses say it is important that the costs are reduced if the council is to remain “financially stable and sustainable”.

The council aims to reduce the number of “exceptionally high cost placements”, and “significantly increasing the number of foster care placements” in a bid to mitigate these costs.

Education

Demand for pupils with special educational needs and difficulties (SEND) has increased nationally – in Rotherham, the number of youngsters receiving additional support via an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan has morethan doubled since 2014, increasing from 1,101 on December 31 2014 to to 2,856 on 30 November 2022.

An agreement with the Department for Education will see RMBC receive £3m per annum from 2022/23 onwards, in a bid to mitigate these costs.

What has the council proposed to help residents?

Several prize freezes on services such as parking are proposed, such as parking charges, to attract visitors to the town centre.

Taxi licensing fees are also proposed to remain the same, and prices for the Civic Theatre and market stalls will not increase.

Almost 14,500 of all households of working age will receive additional council tax support “top up” payments of up to £117.60, to help with the rising cost of living.

Around 10,500 household with council tax bills of £117.60 or less will have their bill reduced to zero.

Cash has been set aside for several projects to improve the borough, such as £199,000 for restoration works to Waterloo Kiln, £75,000 for payment stations at Rother Valley Country Park car parks, and £1.7M for urgent repairs to the Centenary Way Viaduct central reserve.

What has the leader of the council said?

Councillor Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council, said: “This is a difficult year for the council’s budget setting, just as it is for many residents in the borough.

“We are acutely aware of the pressures everyone is facing, so the council is having to cut its cloth accordingly.

“We need to save a substantial amount of money but want to ensure that has the minimum impact on the public.

“With the limited room we have for manoeuvre, we are able to put some additional funding towards basic services, including household waste sites, bin collections and social care provision.

“By making these prudent choices, we can avoid reductions to libraries, or youth services, road maintenance or street cleansing, which have benefited from extra cash over the last couple of years, so that we continue to prioritise the things residents have told us are most important to them.”