By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
Two more Nottinghamshire councils have agreed to increase council tax for the next financial year, citing Government underfunding as a major problem.
Labour-run Broxtowe Borough Council and Gedling Borough Council both set their budgets for the next 12 months at meetings on March 6.
Broxtowe councillors agreed to increase council tax by 2.94 per cent, which for a Band D property is an additional £5.36 for the year.
Gedling will put its council tax up by 2.98 per cent which marks a yearly £5.48 increase for a Band D property.
Nottinghamshire County Council is also raising its portion of council tax, as well as Nottinghamshire Fire Authority and the Police and Crime Commissioner.
In January the Government announced a £600 million support package for councils across England but the money will primarily help councils with social care budgets.
Broxtowe has a budget gap of £820,000 for 2024/25 which will be met from General Fund reserves.
The authority will also increase housing rents by 7.7 per cent.
Cllr Greg Marshall (Lab) said the budget did not make reductions to frontline services or involve redundancies.
He said: “Our administration is proposing a small, below-inflation increase in Broxtowe’s element of council tax, indeed one of the smallest in the county.
“We remain one of the lowest, if not the lowest, average social rent in the entire East Midlands.”
He said Bramcote Leisure Centre would be redeveloped as a “flagship project for this authority”.
Cllr Philip Owen, leader of the Conservative group, proposed an amendment to the budget, including a proposal to reverse an increase in car parking charges.
He criticised the planned closure of Kimberley Leisure Centre despite strong public support for it to remain open.
He said: “We started the year with two swimming pools and we shall start the next financial year with one.
“The other thing that grates people is the abolition of most of the free parking.
“We have tenants in mouldy houses, we have tenants that can’t get repairs done. That’s the reality of broken Broxtowe today.”
The amendment was rejected and leader Cllr Milan Radulovic claimed it was “dressing up for the catastrophic government that he and his colleagues serve”.
Cllr Steve Carr, of Broxtowe Independents, said he supported the budget but added: “We do want to work with you, but it is getting very difficult to put that into practice.
“I will support this, there are some things you could do better but by and large I agree with what you are trying to do.”
Meanwhile at Gedling Borough Council’s meeting, leader Cllr John Clarke (Lab) said the budget was set against “a backdrop of historic cuts to central government grant funding”.
Deputy leader Cllr Michael Payne (Lab) said: “This council has been held back for too long by people playing ideological dogmatic games in Westminster.
“This is a balanced budget, it protects every leisure centre and park in Gedling, it will see the expansion of children’s play parks, and it will protect 5,000 working-age families from paying any increase in council tax.
“This is a budget that has withstood the most horrific, egregious, despicable attacks on public services by this Conservative government over the last 14 years.”
Cllr Mike Adams, Leader of the Conservative Group, said his party’s amendment proposed reducing the number of cabinet members by two and buying two new street sweepers.
It also proposed to increase council tax by 1.98 per cent as opposed to 2.98 per cent.
The Liberal Democrats and Independents also proposed amendments which were rejected.
Responding to concerns, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “This additional £600 million support package illustrates our commitment to local government. We are in their corner, and we support the incredible and often unsung work they do day-to-day to support people across the country.”
