Opposition concern over fees and tip closure plans

Opposition councillors in Warrington have raised concerns about some proposed spending cuts.

The Labour-run authority has put forward a budget for 2025-26 which includes £30m of savings as well as a 4.98% council tax rise.

Liberal Democrats voiced concerns about plans to stop pumping water to maintain the Sankey Canal, the removal of free parking in two areas, and plans to close one of the borough's three tips.

Warrington Council will discuss its budget at a meeting later.

In a report, council officers said determining the 2025-26 budget was "more difficult this year than any year in living memory".

The Liberal Democrats said although they did "applaud" some savings, including reducing energy bills by £2m and cutting interest and other loan costs by £6.5m, some concerns remained.

Regarding plans to stop pumping water to maintain the Sankey Canal, the Lib Dems said "no impact assessment" had taken place and raised concerns about impacts on wildlife and biodiversity.

The opposition councillors also criticised changes to car parking fees in some areas, and said it could impact the local economies by about £4m with "only a slight increase in council parking revenue".

They called for all car parks to be free for an hour, a move which they said would help to "manage parking" and balance the budget.

Thousands of people have signed a petition against the plans.

Councillors also said a decision to close a recycling centre in Stockton Heath could result in increased fly-tipping and impact the borough's recycling rates.

Councillor Mark Browne, leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the council, said: "We recognise that these are challenging times for all councils.

"While we support many of the efficiencies identified by the officers, it is concerning that Labour has not consulted with us, leaving us in the dark about many of the details behind the proposed cuts.

"We have collaborated proactively with officers to develop alternative solutions to issues of great importance to our residents, which retain the balanced budget, and we are hopeful that our proposals will be accepted."

Denis Matthews, the council's cabinet member for finance, told a recent meeting of the authority's cabinet he understood "the strength of feeling" and that "no one wants to remove a service or increase a cost".

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