'Significant' extra funding to help cash-strapped Leeds

A 'significant' boost of funding from central government is set to help Leeds City Council as the cash-strapped authority announces its budget proposals for next year.

- by Charles Gray

Initial budget plans released on Tuesday feature an increase in the council's net budget of £70.4m, consisting of £43.5m more from the government and £26.9m from local funding streams, as the council looks to deliver a balanced budget in the context of rising demand and costs in particular in caring for vulnerable children and older people in Leeds.

Recent years have seen the authority announce plans for redundancies and the closure of key community assets when budgets are announced, but the proposals feature no such features.

They do include a council tax hike of 5.99 per cent though, 2.99 per cent of which will go to the council and another two per cent of which will support adult social care services.

For a band D property in Leeds the increase equates to £90 for the year or £1.74 extra per week.