Ruling Conservatives on Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council have reduced their proposed increase from 2.93 per cent to 2.4 per cent for next year, the 12 months from April 1.
This would give the council £1,178.11, an extra £27.61 compared to this year. Police and fire chiefs get the rest of the final bill, about an extra £120.
The council’s part of this year’s council tax was increased by 4.5 per cent in February.
It has now announced a raft of cuts and savings to keep the council tax low next year.
The tax is seen to be a key general election issue as the UK slowly emerges from a difficult recession.
In a press release, Liberal Democrat Solihull MP Lorely Burt says the rise this year and last year, five per cent, are “well above inflation and some of the largest increases in the country”.
She said the Lib Dems would freeze council tax by lobbying the Government to give the council more cash.
She said: “Council tax is hugely unfair as it hits the poorest hardest.”
Liberal Democrat council group leader Councillor Ian Hedley said: “Residents have endured years of above-inflation increases to their council tax bills under the Conservatives”
“It is high time the Government gave their fair share to the people of Solihull.”
The lower increase figure was announced at the last meeting of the council’s cabinet.
Members also agreed to scrap a 0.2 per cent discount for paying council tax early to save cash.
The official minutes record pressures on looked after children and social services for adults.
Members “felt that the Government should consider covering these increasing costs especially where these cost resulted from statutory requirements being placed on the council”.
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