Portsmouth residents to expect a five per cent council tax hike

Proposals for the 2021/22 budget for Portsmouth City Council include a 4.99 per cent rise in tax. Three per cent of this will specifically cover rising adult social care costs and another 1.99 per cent to match inflation.

This amounts to a hike of £1.08 a week for the average home in Portsmouth - a band B.

The authority is also planning to make £1.3m worth of savings over the year, with almost 80 per cent of this coming from efficiencies and income generation - but has insisted services are not being 'cut.'

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of the council, said: 'No one wants to increase council tax but unfortunately we have no choice, we'd rather have had funding directly from government but that's not an option we've been offered.

'The two per cent general increase basically covers annual inflation so is needed just to allow us to continue what we're already doing.'

It comes as the council saw income losses and additional costs during the Covid-19 pandemic totalling £33.1m for the 2020/21 financial year.

So far the authority has been given £31.9m from the government to cover this - although some of that might be expected to cover continuing pandemic pressures into the next year.

It is thought the council could face around £10.8m in losses due to Covid next year. To date the government has pledged £6.6m for this and further cash is expected to be taken from contingency funds.

As a result of the increase in council tax and other savings it is planned a £2.8m boost will be given to adult social care in the city - a move that was supported by two thirds of respondents to a public budget consultation.

SEE ALSO: £4.2m lost in car parking charges and fines in the first lockdown

However, Conservative group leader, Cllr Donna Jones, was 'deeply concerned' about the savings being made.

'Public services are under immense pressure with staff at breaking point,' she said.

'We have an urgent situation in the city, where for the first time in the city's history, the Lib Dems are failing to meet their legal statutory duties in children's social care.

'So now is not the time for the Lib Dems to cut services.

'If they had not wasted approximately £2m over the summer with the loss of parking income along the seafront and other areas they would not need to make £1.3m of cuts.'

As reported, Hampshire Constabulary recently mooted the idea of a £15 a year increase (or seven per cent) in the police share of council tax to support ‘early recruitment’ of 50 police officers.

The budget proposals will be considered at a cabinet next week and if approved will progress to a full council meeting on February 9 for a final decision.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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