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Bristol Council tax to rise 4.99% and fees to rise after budget

BBC Bristol City HallBBC
The budget was passed after a five-and-a-half-hour meeting

Council tax in Bristol will rise by 4.99% after the annual budget was approved by councillors.

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said the budget "contains plenty of hope for the future," but Green councillor Heather Mack called it "flawed".

Pay-and-display charges will be introduced at 10 car parks that are currently free, and harbour users will also face increased charges.

"Needs are going up, but funding isn't keeping pace," Mr Rees said.

"There is no consequence-free way of balancing our budget, we've really gone into council reserves in a way that's challenging for us," he told BBC Radio Bristol.

Also approved in the budget are:

  • Plans to start charging for DIY waste
  • An increase in charges for garden waste, and to replace recycling boxes
  • Cutting adult social care staff costs by £1.5m and external care costs by £4m

Only Labour councillors voted to pass the budget, but it was enough to get it over the line as the Greens, who have a majority in the chamber, and the Lib Dems abstained.

The Conservatives and the Knowle Community Party voted against it.

Four amendments to the budget were approved which were put forward by opposition groups:

  • Plans for a low traffic neighbourhood in south Bristol
  • £4m from property developers' fees to improve parks and streets
  • £184,000 off the legal defences of SEND tribunals
  • £57,000 to improve Redcatch Park

'Bad budget'

Green councillor Heather Mack told the full council meeting: "This budget is flawed, full of unrealistic savings and it's a result of not just inadequate funding from the Tory government but also the costly mistakes of this [Labour] administration - Bristol Energy and the Beacon to name a few."

Meanwhile, Conservative group leader councillor Mark Weston said: "Abstention and letting this budget go through lets in the parking charges that will be catastrophic to communities, it lets in the recycling and DIY waste charges.

"If you let that go through, I guarantee we are going to spend more clearing up the fly-tipping - that gets baked in on today's budget. It's a bad budget."

'Perilous time'

But Labour Mayor Marvin Rees said the budget was "a considerable achievement".

He said: "This is a perilous time for local government as we all see our costs spiralling, demand on services growing and support from Westminster shrinking.

"We've protected libraries, children's centres and parks.

"Our capital programme sets aside over £450m over the coming four years to invest in building much needed new homes for the city - that includes £1m to support community-led schemes.

"There's a further £35m being invested in SEN provision for disabled children and their families, over £8m to invest in our city's leisure centres and £4m to spend on community improvements."

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