Trafford council’s draft budget has been approved by its executive as they try and close a £58.45m funding gap.
Council tax is set to go up.
The town hall has been hit hard by the impact of coronavirus. The pandemic has cost the council £45.5m so far.
Savings and redirected funds are holding back the tide, but there is still a net budget gap of £15.65m – just from the impact of the virus.
That doesn’t include ‘business as usual’ pressures, which total a massive £42.8m.
Over the next three years, Trafford council has a sizeable financial gap to fill.
The council has proposed an overall increase in council tax of 3.99pc – the highest possible increase – which includes a 2pc adult social care precept.
For someone living in a Band C property in Trafford, their council tax bill will go up by £58.27 to £1,518.73 a year.
In 2021/22, the authority needs to find £32.81m through additional funding, the use of savings and generating new income.
This is assuming the pressures of Covid stop by the end of the 2021/22 financial year.
Even if the proposed budget is fully implemented by the council, it still predicts to have a budget gap each year over the following three years – £4.71m in 2021/22, £5.21m in 2022/23, and £8.03m in 2022/24 – a total of £17.95m.
A proposed final budget will be put to full council on February 22 2021 for approval.
