Councillors last night agreed a 1.95 per cent increase in the city’s share of council tax in order to avoid cuts to key services.
Band D householders in Norwich will pay £244.01 – up from £239.34 last year – as a result of the decision taken at City Hall last night. This equates to an increase of 1p per day.
Norwich City Council’s total budgetary requirement for 2016-17 has been set at £16.120m, with a prudent level of reserves at £4.273m.
Meanwhile, income and savings projects totalling more than £3.5m have been identified through the authority’s ongoing transformation programme.
A 1.95 per cent increase in the city’s portion of council tax was strongly backed in a three-month public consultation carried out by the authority.
In total, 67.92 per cent of people who took part supported the increase to help the council protect key services in the future, while 24.17 per cent were opposed.
Councillor Alan Waters, leader of the council, said the budget had been informed by the council’s transformation programme and the public consultation.
"The changes resulting from the savings we will make will further reduce the council’s overall capacity, although they should not significantly impact the services the public receive from the council for 2016-17," he said.
"However, in the medium-term, the government's financial settlement for Norwich will require further net savings of £10.3m over the next five years – equivalent to £2.3m each year to 2020-21. We will do our best to protect the services people in the city value and sustain the level of investment needed for a strong economy and Norwich's place as an important regional centre.
"That is why we will continue to make the case for a fair deal for Norwich."
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