Westmorland and Furness Council share of Council Tax set to rise by 4.99%

Westmorland and Furness Council’s share of Council Tax is set to rise by 4.99%.

They said that after careful consideration of its financial situation, and the feedback received via its public consultation, Cabinet have agreed to recommend a 2.99% increase in the general Council Tax, and an additional 2% increase for the Adult Social Care precept for 2024/25.

It is also recommending charging the empty homes Council Tax premium of 100% after one year empty rather than two, and have a 300% premium (400% overall charge) for properties empty after 10 years – both are applicable from the 1 April 2024.

In addition, approve the introduction of a 100% Council Tax premium on second homes effective from 1 April 2025, approve an updated Capital programme 2023-2029 and Treasury Management Strategy, and also approve a new five year Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2024 – 2029.

A spokesperson said: ‘’Despite challenging financial times Westmorland and Furness Council has worked hard to achieve a balanced budget for 2024/25 that protects front line services.

‘’This is a major achievement for any council in the current financial climate locally regionally and nationally, especially for a council that has only been in operation for one year since major Local Government Reorganisation in 2023.’’

If approved by Full Council on February 22, this will mean the council has achieved a balanced budget for 2024/25, which meets the legal requirement.

Cllr Andrew Jarvis, Cabinet member for Finance, added: ‘’As a new council we have spent a lot of effort in our first year (2023/24) focusing on stabilisation and the need to get our basics right. We have been building the strong and sustainable foundations that we need now and for the future.

"We have started to deliver on the ambitions set out in our council plan to create Westmorland and Furness as a great place to live, work and thrive and sound finances are at the very core of us achieving this.

"The cost of living continues to be a concern and inflation, although settling, is still uncertain and is driving up the cost of delivering services to those who need them most. Demand for our services continues to rise and there is ongoing uncertainty about what future funding we can expect from central government.

"For 2024/25 we have worked hard to achieve a balanced budget, that will allow us to invest in and maintain our services.  Although, to achieve this we also had to draw on our reserves.

"We know that we cannot keep relying on the one-off use of reserves.  As we look ahead we will need to change the way we work if we are to continue delivering efficient and effective services to our communities while securing our long-term financial sustainability.

"Finally, I am very proud that we are able to commit to investing over £100million into our communities through an ambitious capital programme in 2024/25 (and £500m over a six year period). We are already working with partners and communities to ensure that this money is invested in projects and schemes that will make a real difference to people’s lives and to our communities.”

The council added they’re committed to supporting people to have healthy lives, reduce inequality, drive delivery of carbon net zero, support its communities and enable sustainable economic growth.