Wirral's council tax has been frozen for the second year running after a meeting of the town hall cabinet last night.

However, with the authority having to make £70m savings over next three years, it will require “radical thinking” on how services are delivered.

There was good news for shoppers and traders with the annoucement that car parking charges are to be slashed.

Even though the tax levied by the town hall is frozen, householders could still face a small increase through extra cash demands to pay for the police and fire services.

Labour council leader Cllr Phil Davies said: “Government cuts have slashed Wirral’s budget by £151m since 2010 – that’s equivalent to a 57% cut in income.

"We have announced a budget that will protect vital services, makes our neighbourhoods safer and cleaner and supports local high streets and small businesses."

“The budget we announce today means no library, children’s centre or ‘one stop shop’ will close, and despite inheriting a £17m overspend from the previous Tory/LibDem administration, we are proud to have been able to freeze our council xax again this year” he added.

Labour’s budget focuses on five key priorities:

Protecting vital services:

Among the measures are £7m invested to support child and adult services; an additional £1.9m to support schools affected by the Government axing Education Services Grant; £900,000 set aside to support the most vulnerable following the withdrawal of Local Welfare Assistance Fund.

 

Supporting the local economy:

£800,000 for business investment grants to support new and growing businesses; discount on business rates for those signing up to be accredited Living Wage employers; reduced car parking charges to encourage local shopping in our towns and commercial centres.

 

Cleaner, greener Wirral:

Invest £1.175m in a range of measures to improve recycling performance and keep our streets clean;
free replacement recycling bins, reduced cost of replacement refuse bins and a free bin repair service and funding for community clean-ups.

 

Tackling anti-social behaviour:

£365,000 invested in a comprehensive range of programmes and schemes with the police, to help tackle problems of anti-social behaviour; £100,000 on additional CCTV, mobile recording and monitoring;
Additional ASBO enforcement and environmental health officers to be recruited and
£100,000 on strengthening enforcement and education on unruly dogs and fouling.

 

Providing value for money:

Freeze council tax for the second year; protect local services and build strong communities and overcome legacy of £17m overspend "by the previous Tory/LibDem administration."

Merseyside Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy is proposing a rise in council tax payments to pump more money into the force.

If the plans are approved, then most households will find themselves handing over an extra £2 a year through their council tax bills. 

Mrs Kennedy believes the increase is necessary in order to cope with government funding cuts, which will see £126m being slashed from the budget between 2010 and 2019. 

“This increase in the police precept is essential if I am to protect frontline police services,” claimed Mrs Kennedy. 

The budget was approved unanimously and is expected to be rubber-stamped at a meeting of the full council on February 24.