Salford council has passed its budget for the year ahead, bringing in a number of changes affecting residents. The town hall faced a shortfall of £5.9 million this year, which it has had to manage by making savings and increasing its income – but the situation is set to get worse in the future. Salford Mayor Paul Dennett said that £245 million has been cut from the council’s budget in total over the past 14 years by the government, putting pressure on its ability to deliver services. He added that while the council has balanced the books this year, government cuts to town halls have made him “very worried” about the future. In Salford, one of the key drivers of this is the expected loss of the Household Support Fund (HSF) at the end of March, which is used to pay for meals for children during school holidays, and support families with essentials such as heating their homes. The council has put £2.7 million in its budget plan to continue to support vulnerable residents despite the loss of the HSF and other funding. Speaking at the budget meeting in Salford Civic Centre today, Mr Dennett said: “We’ve had to make some difficult decisions in this year’s budget – every year the challenge we face in setting a balanced budget continues to grow.” The budget was opposed by Salford Conservatives. But what does it mean for residents? Council tax is set to increase by five percent – meaning Band D households will pay an extra £110.93 per year without the single person discount. This is a rise of £73.95 for those living in Band A homes. The increase is made up of a 2.99pc general council tax increase and 2pc rise in the adult social care precept. Councils across Greater Manchester are facing similar positions, having to find ways to increase their income to continue providing vital services for residents. An amendment put forward by Salford Conservatives to the budget proposed no increase to Salford’s general council tax this year, but this was rejected by councillors. Leader of the opposition, Councillor Robin Garrido, said it would have helped put more money into the pockets of Salford residents. He added: “Can I remind this council that every year we have proposed alternatives and you vote them down. Every year we have suggested how we can save money for tax payers in this city but you vote it down, it’s always the same.” Salford Conservatives questioned how the council can find money for Salford Red Devils rugby league club, and projects such as restoring Buile Hill Mansion, while asking residents to pay more in council tax. The Mayor highlighted the benefits of having the Red Devils in Salford and its decision to buy Salford Community Stadium, which is expected to attract £65 million of investment and create hundreds of jobs. Another change is an uplift in fees and charges for council services. This will see people paying more for things such as pest control, parking charges, and bin replacements. But the Mayor ruled out making any cuts to bin collections, libraries, and leisure centres around Salford. During the budget meeting, Mr Dennett shared that nearly 5,000 households were waiting for suitable housing at the end of 2023 as the borough grapples with a homelessness crisis. To try to ease this pressure, the council has committed to building 600 new council houses over the next four years. The council had to open an emergency homeless shelter in December, with 40 beds which were immediately filled. Plans to build more homes follows Salford council’s recent decision to adopt the Places for Everyone scheme – a Greater Manchester-wide plan to build thousands of new homes and create more jobs around the region.
