Part of council tax bill for all Greater Manchester residents to go up by 7.1%
manchestereveningnews.co.ukGreater Manchester residents will face a 7.1 pc increase in part of their council tax bill from April as leaders approve spending plans for the next financial year.
Andy Burnham's request to raise council tax for his budget has been approved. The increase of £12 for Band D properties is made up of £5 for fire services and £7 for the general budget to cover bus reform and homeless shelters. READ MORE: Council tax hike of £22 to pay for police, buses and fire service It comes after the police precept part of the bill was also raised by £10 for Band D households following protests by members of the public last week.
The Greater Manchester mayor told council leaders on Friday (February 11) that he is 'extremely conscious' of the cost of living pressures residents face, claiming he had been 'careful' not to increase tax too much in recent years.
But Burnham said there is an 'exceptional case' for the council tax hike now. He explained that the extra funding would allow the fire service to maintain 50 pumps across all of its stations with four to five firefighters staffing each one.
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