Business and Economy

At a meeting today, Sefton Council agreed a Council Tax rise of 2.99%, which will mean an extra 66p per week for Band A properties and an additional 88p weekly for properties in Band C.

Resilient

Afterwards, Sefton Council Leader Cllr Ian Maher said: “Thanks to careful management, the Council’s finances remain resilient despite a reduction in funding of over 50% since 2010 by the Government, which has also failed to recognise just how hard our Borough has been hit by those cuts and the Covid pandemic.

“Rather than provide the resources we need to deliver services for local people and businesses and ensure a brighter future for all, the Government is, once again, forcing us to increase Council Tax to make local people pay for vital services instead.

“In Sefton this rise will be just 66p per week for the majority of homes because they fall into Band A.

“I know that when households across Sefton are facing a huge leap in the cost of heating their homes, rising prices in the shops and at the petrol pumps, increased train fares and will soon be hit by the Government’s decision to raise National Insurance payments, even 89p per week is another cost they could do without.

Vital

“But it does mean we will be able to provide the vital functions to support our most vulnerable, protect our communities and provide care for those who need it. We will also continue to run the facilities and services that people of Sefton rightly expect and deserve.

“I am glad the Government has come up with the one-off £150 Council tax energy rebate, but I am afraid for many families, some of which are still feeling the effects of Ministers’ decision to cut Universal Credit by £20 per week, that payment will only scratch the surface.

“If this country is really going to build back better after austerity and Covid and any real kind of Levelling Up is going to happen, we need to see the Government facing up to the reality that we need sustainable, three-year financial settlements that would enable us to plan strategically and support our frontline services.”

Grant payments

Cllr Maher went on to highlight that Sefton Council has continued to feed pupils who would otherwise have gone hungry in the school holidays and has supported local businesses by processing over 23,000 grant payments totalling over £97 million, with a further £1.3 million in the pipeline.

He added: “Finally, I would like, once again, to say thank you to residents and businesses across Sefton for everything they have done to care for those around them protect them from the worst of Covid; and to thank the Council’s and our partners’ hardworking staff who have delivered services to keep us all safe and well during incredibly difficult times.”

You can find a link to the meeting papers here.

How your Council Tax is spent in Sefton.