Families across Nantwich and Crewe are facing a 4.99% hike in Cheshire East Council Tax bills, it has emerged.
The whopping rise comes as the authority revealed it has to find £100 million of savings by 2020.
But council chiefs have pledged that 3% of the rise will go direct to adult social care to help cope with the region’s growing elderly population needs.
The proposed rise, which will go before a Full Council meeting in February, will result in a £1.21 weekly rise on an average Band D property – or £63 extra a year.
If approved, the council will also have to save another £49m by other means, which could impact on any of the 500 services it delivers.
Cheshire East bosses claim they need to offset the loss of more than £40m in Government grants.
And combined with inflation and additional service demands, such as the growing ageing population, it has left a £100 million hole in its budget between 2017 and 2020.
Cllr Peter Groves (pictured), Cheshire East cabinet member for finance and councillor for Nantwich South and Stapeley, said: “We will continue to create the right conditions for economic growth and prosperity for all, investing in people, social care and education.
“The costs associated with maintaining this level of quality in our services and our environment are becoming increasingly challenging as national austerity measures continue to put pressure on local government.
“The costs of the health system continue to put all public services under severe financial pressure.”
Council Leader Cllr Rachel Bailey said: “We will continue to provide the right environment for our local population to develop their skills, which will help them to secure meaningful long-term employment as well as supporting our local businesses.
“In addition, we will maintain a focus on the ‘quality of place’ in the borough, which will enable our economy to grow and help our local residents to access employment, education and leisure opportunities.
“This is why the medium term financial strategy proposes a capital programme of more than £300m over the next three years so we can continue to invest in essential infrastructure, education and regeneration of our towns and villages.
“Furthermore, we will also ensure the countryside and open spaces in Cheshire East are managed prudently and provide good quality frontline services, such as highways, waste collection and street cleansing, to ensure that the quality of the environment in the borough is maintained.”
A pre-budget consultation period ran between November 2016 and January 2017.
It resulted in a record number of responses from residents, businesses and other stakeholders.
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