WARWICK District Council needs to make savings of more than £800,000 in the coming years.
Council chiefs say with further cuts to government support mean the the authority will have to find savings of £830,000 by 2021/22.
It comes as the council prepares to hike its share of the coming year’s household council tax bill by 3.3 per cent.
The lion’s share of the bill – around 80 per cent – is set by Warwickshire County Council which recently agreed a hike of nearly four per cent.
The district council accounts for around a tenth of the total bill. It means an average Band D household will have to pay around an extra £5 a year for district council services, on top of around an extra £50 for county council services. Warwickshire Police – which also accounts for around a tenth of the bill – will not be raising its share of the total bill this year.
The district council increased its portion last year after a five year freeze.
Council chiefs say they are continuing with their ‘Fit for the Future’ programme started in 2011 to improve efficiency and make further savings while protecting mainstream services. These they say include outsourcing management of the leisure centres and the relocation to a smaller headquarters.
But it comes with a warning over the need for big savings in the next four years.
Council finance spokesman Coun Peter Whiting said: “I pay tribute to both officers and councillors in continuing to maintain and improve our service offering with only a moderate increase in council tax.
“Being in a stable position for 2017/18 means that we can continue to bring a high level of service to our customers and invest in projects which will benefit the community.”
The council is set to confirm its budget and council tax on Wednesday (February 22).
