North Somerset Council has dropped a plan to cut the help it gives people on the lowest income with their council tax.
The council spends £12.1m a year giving 11,487 of the lowest-income households in North Somerset a reduction on their council tax of up to 75%. But in November, the council proposed cutting £1.5 from this support as it tried to balance its budget.
Now the council has confirmed that it has dropped the proposal to cut its council tax support scheme, and will continue to provide the up to 75% discount. Some changes have been made to the scheme to make it “more efficient to administer” but these will not deliver the council a saving.
When proposed in November, council leader Cllr Mike Bell (Weston-super-Mare Central, Liberal Democrat) said: “It demonstrates how serious the financial challenges facing the council are that we are having to look at savings like this. And unfortunately that is the reality we face.”
But Cllr Bridget Petty (Backwell, Green) said the Green group would not support the plans. She said: “While I do appreciate the extremely serious financial pressures the council is currently facing, I fear this is not the right place to make the savings.”
Cllr Helen Thornton (Weston-super-Mare Uphill, Labour) warned that the proposal could be “so discriminatory that it is actually illegal under the Equalities Act.” The proposed cut was dropped part way through the equality impact assessment process, as all groups consulted were “very concerned” it would have an impact on those already struggling to manage and could add to the causes of inequality in North Somerset.
The council is proposing to balance its budget gap for the next financial year with over £20m of cuts and savings, including axing council mag North Somerset Life. The council proposes increasing council tax by the maximum 5% — an increase of £85.25 for the year or £1.64 per week for an average Band D property.
The council will also take £9.1m out of its reserves. A report going before the council executive next week warned: “Whilst this is not a sustainable funding solution in the long term, it is necessary so that we can continue to deliver vital statutory services until such time that we can identify additional savings and finalise transformation proposals.”
One of the options in North Somerset Council’s budget consultation was a 15% rise in council tax and they had asked residents if they would donate £1,000. But with only the 4.99% rise proposed, those plans have been discounted.
A consultation setting out a series of proposals to close the gap – including council tax increases and a voluntary contribution – has been published for residents to share their views.
Cllr Mike Bell, leader of North Somerset Council said: ‘We are having to make tough decisions to protect vital services as best we can and continue to deliver low cost, good quality services for our residents. We are not shying away from the challenge.’
North Somerset Council is also proposing closing some of the district’s libraries to save £433k across 2026/27 and 2027/28, although no cuts are proposed in the next financial year. It has been warned there will be a “high” impact on protected groups and a full equalities impact assessment will need to be carried out.
Cllr Bell said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in our budget engagement and helped shape our thinking around continuing difficult and challenging decisions. Thanks to this feedback and the incredibly hard work of council officers, we will be presenting a balanced budget for 2025/26. However, this has been achieved through tough choices about spending and service changes and through the use of one-off resources.
“Due to a rising tide in demand and costs, our long-term budget gap has now widened to just over £10million. This means further solutions and savings plans will need to be identified in the years ahead.”
The proposed budget will go before the council executive on February 4. It will then need to be approved by the full council meeting on February 18.
Increasing costs and demand in adults and children’s social care has led to a budget squeeze at councils across the country in recent years. North Somerset has warned it receives less money than other councils per household.
Cllr Bell said: “We are continuing to urge the government to better and fairly fund local councils across the country. Please sign our fair deal petition if you haven’t already. We were extremely disappointed North Somerset Council didn’t receive a share of the new recovery grant during the recent local government finance settlement announcement, funding that was specifically designed to help councils with greater need and demand for services.”
He added: “Without reform and sustainable funding models, local government in this country will die a slow death by a thousand cuts.”
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