Walsall like seventy eight per cent of all metropolitan councils will be raising council tax bills by the maximum 4.99% allowed in 2017/18.

More than two-thirds of “top-tier” councils are planning to use the 3% social care precept allowed by the Government without the need to go out to a referendum.

Basted on this information it is expected that local athorities across the country will raise an extra £543 million, this is well short of the £652 million that communities secretary Sajid Javid had previously outlined.

The Local Government Association has warned that the cost of funding the national living wage to social care services is likely to be more than £600 million. Not only will this social care precept not meet the national living wage cost it meens that non of it is going to help sort the crisis in providing social care needs. This will lead to futher problems in the NHS. By 2020 there will be a massive £2.6 billion funding gap in social care. “The Government cannot keep on fobbing off their responsibilities to council tax payers by expecting councils alone to fix this deepening crisis,” said Lib Dem Cllr Ian Shires.