A leading councillor in Reading has called for council tax to go up by almost five per cent next year, as the council approved its draft budget for consultation.

The government is this year allowing local authorities to raise council tax by up to 1.99 per cent and the adult social care precept – money ringfenced for social care – by up to 2.99 per cent.

Councillor Tony Jones, lead member for Adult Social Care at Reading Borough Council (RBC) has called for the maximum council tax rise allowed without a referendum needing to be held.

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Speaking at the council’s policy committee on Monday, December 14, he slammed the government for still not coming up with a plan to adequately fund and reform adult social care and “passing the burden and blame” onto councils by letting them increase council tax instead.

And he accused Boris Johnson of “making dishonest promises on the steps of Downing Street”.

RBC’s draft budget is now out for public consultation, setting out the council’s plans to invest in the town whilst delivering a balanced budget through savings and earning revenue.

But the draft budget currently has a £5 million gap for 2021/22.

Increasing council tax to five per cent rather than the minimum of three per cent would reduce the gap to £3 million and help adult social care services.

Cllr Jones said: “The funding of adult social care services in England is unfair to individuals, families and councils.

“We heard in the last Tory manifesto that nobody should be forced to sell their home to pay for care. That situation hasn’t changed.

“The long-promised green paper on adult social care was first promised in 2017.

“Matt Hancock promised it would be delivered by April 2019, long before the interruption of Covid. Still nothing.

“Worse than that, when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019, he stood on the steps of Downing Street and said we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan that we have prepared. Nothing since.

“We can’t be kept waiting any longer.”

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An additional grant of £300 million for adult and children’s social care was announced recently but Cllr Jones said this “means very little to Reading” among hundreds of other authorities who will receive a slice of the funding.

So he said, in the absence of a government plan, the council will push forward with its own plan and hopes to bring forward a new review of adult social care services by early next year.

He added: “It upsets me and annoys me and probably makes me more angry than is good for me to listen to the Prime Minster make dishonest promises on the steps of Downing Street.

“We can’t wait any longer. We must solve adult social care.

“If that means we have to get on with it in Reading before the government decides what it’s position is then so be it.”