Costs set to rise as council plugs budget hole


Costs set to rise as council plugs budget hole

People are set to pay more for services as a Kent local authority seeks to plug a multi-million-pound budget shortfall.

Medway Council plans to increase council tax and a range of charges from April, including parking and sports centre memberships.

Council leader Vince Maple said the local authority "had to deal with a really challenging financial set of circumstances".

"These are difficult choices, not ones we take lightly," he added.

"But I've got a responsibility to deliver a balanced budget and to deliver the very best services that we can within a financially responsible approach."

The local authority has ruled out making further cuts to services, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council tax will be hiked by 4.99% - the maximum amount without requiring a referendum.

Medway Council had asked the government for another 5% increase to council tax on top, though this request was rejected.

Parking costs across Medway are due to go up by 60p, both for on-street and off-street.

That means a one to two-hour stay will cost £2.90 rather than £2.30, for example.

Sports centre memberships will also increase, with a premier-plus monthly fee for Cozenton Park in Rainham rising from £55.95 to £60.40.

The family premier-plus monthly membership will increase from £115 to £124.20.

The council initially believed it would require £26.2m in exceptional financial support (EFS) from the government to make up for it budget shortfall in the next financial year.

However, this figure has been revised down to £18.5m.

Medway Council said it intends to save money by using AI to reduce time-consuming assessment work for social care and other services to speed up processing and administration.

Whether council buildings can be better utilised or sold will also be investigated, it added.

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