COUNCIL tax will increase in Warrington after being approved amid concerns over a ‘huge funding gap’.

The 2023-24 medium-term financial plan, revenue budget and capital programme came before councillors at the full council meeting at the Parr Hall on Monday.

Members backed the proposals including the council tax increase. It will rise by 4.98 per cent – which includes an adult social care precept of two per cent.

The proposed budget totals around £183 million – and includes £13.6 million of savings.

Deputy council leader Cllr Cathy Mitchell, Labour, said: “We are a low funded yet high performing council.

“The net budget for 23-24 is £183 million.

“Each department in the council has had to find further cuts – there isn’t much left to cut after 13 years of austerity.

“We’re cutting into the bone now, there is no fat left.

“Our portfolio of investments will contribute to funding those services, they provide a net benefit, not cost.

“The net benefit, after all of the expenses were paid last year, was £23.5 million.

“It’s a significant sum, but it’s not enough to fill that huge funding gap.”

But Cllr Ken Critchley, Conservative, said it is another budget of ‘spin’ and ‘soundbites’ which ‘fails to grasp the opportunity to alter the disastrous course the council has set upon’.

Furthermore, he stated that the budget ‘fails to grasp the opportunity’ that is available now to reduce the debt burden by an ‘exit strategy’ from the property portfolio.

“It fails to recognise the cost of living crisis by unnecessarily proposing council tax increases way beyond what is really required to balance this budget,” he added.

Cllr Critchley also described it as a ‘disastrous’ budget.

The budget was passed after Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors voted to approve it, while Tory councillors voted against it.

A report to councillors said that the council has in place ‘well established, robust and regular budget monitoring processes’.

It added: “These take account of the current level of reserves, the latest budget requirements calling on reserves to meet current commitments and to make contributions to reserves to meet future commitments.

“Approval to use or make contributions to reserves is given by the director of corporate services as part of the regular budgetary process.”

A minute’s silence was held at the start of the full council meeting.

It was held following the passing of former councillor Les Morgan, the news of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the death of Brianna Ghey, and to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country.