Council tax rise approved by Gloucestershire County Council

13 February 2019, 16:54

Gloucestershire County Council has approved it's budget for the next financial year.

It includes a 4.99% rise in council tax to raise £8.4m for children's services and another £5.6m to help manage the increase demand for adult care services.

It means a £5.13 per month rise for the average bill.

The budget also includes £179m of new capital investment for schools, community facilities and highways, including funding for the council's £150m road improvements programme.

An extra £150k for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue service and £25k to help the county get ready for 5G were added by the Cabinet at its meeting in January and form part of the now agreed budget.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Leader of the county council, said: ''Our commitment to go on supporting the most vulnerable people in our county, investing ever more in schools and in resurfacing of our roads is clear for all to see in the budget agreed today. We have an unwavering commitment to delivering quality services for today and for an ambitious future for the county.

''The message I got loud and clear when out talking with people across the county was that we have the priorities and are invest plans are the right ones. Like the people of the county, we have an ambitious vision for the future of the county and the budget endorsed by Cabinet in January and agreed by council today shows that we are delivering.''