Nottinghamshire County Council has approved a new budget for 2017/18 which includes a rise in council tax of almost five per cent.
It also approved cuts to adult social care and children and yong people’s services.
Both key service areas will have their funding cut by around £2.5 million.
The four year plan offered by the government in 2016/2017 as part of the Local Government Settlement assumes council tax will be increased by 1.75 per cent each year with an added ‘adult social care precept’ proposed on top of that.
This means the county council’s part of tax bills is going up by 4.75 per cent in total, meaning the average household in Notts will pay around £51.66 extra for the year.
The final decision was made early on Thursday evening (February 23) after a lengthy debate and vote at County Hall in West Bridgford.
Although adult social care and children and young people are the services being cut the most both areas are still the most well-funded services in the county council budget.
Council leader Alan Rhodes, Labour, said: “This budget comes at the end of a four year term which has been characterised by the double whammy of Government austerity and rising demand.
“Since 2010, the County Council has had to make savings of £212 million as a result of Government cuts and investment required in services, while the demand for our social care services for an ageing population, people with disabilities, vulnerable children and school places has rocketed.
“I have every sympathy with the hard pressed residents of Nottinghamshire but the brutal truth is that the Government has put us in a position where the alternative is worse – even more cuts to so-called ‘discretionary services’ such as road repairs and youth services or a failure to fulfil our obligations to vulnerable people.”
The council is also considering using £27 million from its cash reserves to fund their services in 2017/18.
Money is being invested in some areas, with £3 million proposed for new IT service, moving systems to a ‘cloud’ based service.
