COUNCIL tax for residents of Cheshire West and Chester is set to rise by 4.9 per cent again this year.

It follows a hike of the same amount last year and equates to an extra £1.39 a week for people living in a Band D property.

Council chiefs say the increase is necessary to offset a funding gap of £21.4 million and ensure the borough’s most vulnerable residents receive the support they need.

Early budget proposals for 2019-20 are included in a report for the authority’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which meets on Monday, February 4.

It reveals Cheshire West and Chester Council must make savings of £8.5 million in the coming financial year in order to balance the books.

The proposals also include capital investment of £238 million to improve services for residents, service users and visitors over a three-year period. This includes investment in housing, transport and leisure and culture facilities.

In total, the council will be responsible for spending more than £719 million of public funds delivering services across the borough in 2019-20.

Cllr Samantha Dixon, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC), said: “Local Government is experiencing a period of unprecedented financial uncertainty due to reduced government funding, with a number of councils now on the brink of insolvency.

“Increasing council tax is not a decision we take lightly as we know many families are struggling, but we have a responsibility to protect our most vulnerable residents and maintain frontline services despite huge cuts to our funding.”

CWaC says that the proposed council tax increase would allow it to invest a much-needed £7.9 million in Adult Social Care and £2.6 million in Children’s Social Care.

There is also a proposal to set aside an additional £200,000 to support those struggling with the roll out of Universal Credit through the Discretionary Hardship Fund and provide additional welfare support to residents.

The council tax increase includes a two per cent precept for adult social care and 2.99 per cent for general council services – an increase of 4.9 per cent in total.

Cllr Dixon said the public told the council through consultations that it wants a more efficient local authority that prioritises the protection of vulnerable adults and children.

“We are committed to making sure we support children to get the best start in life and to keep vulnerable adults and children safe and protected,” she said.

“The most significant costs we face are increasing numbers of children entering care and our ageing population, which puts greater pressure on social care. This increases demand for our services, creating huge financial pressures on our budget, which, if we didn’t take action, would threaten the quality of care we provide.”

She added: “We’re very aware that a number of families are finding things tough at the moment. We are absolutely committed to protecting schemes we have in place to support and protect those struggling to pay council tax bills from getting in to financial difficulty.”

Cllr David Armstrong, cabinet member for finance, said the council was determined to achieve value for money in tough economic times.

He said: “This council continues to face significant challenges but we have a positive track record of sound financial management. This budget represents the final year of our four-year plan, which had to address the £57m gap faced by this council over the period of our administration.”

Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be asked to make recommendations to Cabinet, which meets on Wednesday, February 6. Final proposals will be considered at the council’s annual budget setting meeting on Thursday, February 21.

Cllr Lynn Riley, the leader of the Conservative opposition on the council, has been approached for a comment.