Barnsley agrees 3.9% council tax increase amid national rise

The leader of Barnsley Council has pledged no job losses or cuts to front-line services while announcing a 3.9% rise in council tax.

This cap is the maximum acceptable increase without holding local referendums.

In order to balance the books, The leader of the council for Barnsley, Sir Steve Houghton assured boroughs such as Barnsley were forced to increase this tax whilst keeping the number as low as possible.

He said: “What we’ve managed with this budget are no job losses, no cuts to front-line services, help for those who need it most with the cost-of-living crisis, and some growth in some areas to meet some of the challenges the borough faces.”

The revenue from council tax helps fund services such as fire and rescue, waste disposal, or road maintenance.

With less money available at a national level, government grants were lower than expected this year.

Government grants are currently awarded based on economic success rather than need. For councils like Barnsley, this is another setback.

Mr Houghton claimed that over the last ten years, Barnsley lost around 120 million pounds a year.

Sir Steve Houghton said: “We’ve been arguing for many years for fair funding.

“The money the government gives out to councils should be based on need and in particular deprivation, but the government has been moving away from that, so we see prosperous areas get more money than poorer areas. That can’t be right.”

With the cost-of-living crisis added to ten years of austerity, the leader of the council said he was worried the borough will suffer more than its neighbours.

Although Barnsley raised council tax by a significant 3.9%, financial support has been made available to residents on lower incomes.

Mr Houghton said: “In the circumstances, this is probably as good as it gets for Barnsley.”