Preston City Council is set to increase council tax.

A rise of 1.99 per cent was agreed by Cabinet at a meeting in early February. The increase equates to a new Band D charge of £333.63 in 2022/23.

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Capping rules allow for adding up to two percent on council tax in 2022/23.

Read more: South Ribble Borough Council reverse decision on council tax rise

The increased charge is part of Preston City Council’s budget proposals for 2022/23 to 2025/26, which are laid out in a report to Cabinet titled Achieving Preston’s Priorities.

The report states that following the initial impact of Covid-19, council tax collection rates started to recover during 2021/22, while council tax support numbers began to reduce.

Business rates income collection also remains down as the pandemic continues to have a major impact.

Meanwhile the report sets out a savings requirement for the Council of £500k in 2023/24. A Budget Working Group will meet during 2022 to identify where savings can be made.

Read more: Lancashire County Council confirm council tax increase and budget plans for 2022

In a foreword to the report, Leader of Preston City Council Councillor Matthew Brown said: “Despite the difficult budget decisions that we have had to make in recent years, I believe that we are delivering high-quality frontline services to Preston’s residents.

“Unfortunately, we are faced with unprecedented levels of financial and economic uncertainty as we continue to support our residents, communities and businesses through the various phases of the pandemic.

“We continue to look to government for a sustainable funding model that would better enable us to effectively plan beyond the immediate future.”

A decision on the council tax increase will be made at the Budget Council meeting later today (Thursday 24 February).

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