Council tax South Glos plans cuts and service fee rises

SOUTH Gloucestershire Council is pressing ahead with a big rise in garden waste collection fees and cuts to meals on wheels, pest control and the HandyVan household maintenance service but still needs to exhaust £20 million of reserves to balance the books.

- Adam POSTANS Local democracy reporter

The authority's Liberal Democrat and Labour cabinet is set to agree a maximum 4.99 per cent council tax hike when it meets on February 2.

This increase will see annual bills for Band D properties rise above £2,000 for the first time.

Under the proposals, the cost of garden waste collections will jump by 19 per cent, rising from £63 to £75.

A report to the cabinet outlined that £19.98million of one-off reserves will be required to balance the budget for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years. Despite this, the council faces an underlying budget gap of £36million over the next four years, though this figure is £13million better than previously projected.