Councillors in Middlesbrough have approved a budget with ‘savings and income generation plans’ worth £13.9m.
Members also agreed to accept the Government’s ‘in-principle’ offer of £13.4m in exceptional financial support, which it will use to bridge the remaining £4.7m gap in its 2024-25 budget.
Council tax will be increased by the maximum 4.99%, refuse collections will switch from weekly to fortnightly and a £40 annual green waste collection charge will be introduced.
The authority also intends to bring in around £15m through the sale of assets.
However, following public opposition, the council withdrew plans to introduce parking charges at Stewart Park and deferred a decision on closing the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum.
Middlesbrough Council’s executive member for finance and governance, Nicky Walker, said: ‘If we had not voted to approve the budget, the Section 151 Officer would have had to issue a section 114 notice, which would have been catastrophic for Middlesbrough and led to a range of valued services being suspended.’
