The councillor in charge of Warwick District Council's finances has warned that fees are likely to go up next year to balance the books.

Cllr Jonathan Chilvers, the district's portfolio holder for resources, announced an emerging problem in the authority's medium-term financial strategy (MTFS) – the five-year framework that informs budget setting each year. 

A lot of the information anticipates what is likely to happen in the future and gets revised each year alongside political priorities and changing circumstances, whether that is to do with the council itself or its revenue streams, such as government funding. 

The issue centres around the ongoing assumption that the money the council collects for the services it provides, including parking and paid-for waste disposal, will go up by 10 per cent each year. 

Cllr Chilvers said the Green Party-Labour coalition in charge of council services "inherited" that assumption when it took power in May 2023 but that a benchmarking exercise to compare the region's rates against other councils had highlighted a problem. 

"Broadly speaking, the findings suggest there is scope to achieve a 10 per cent increase in income for 2025-26 but that it will need reevaluating in future years," he told a meeting for all councillors this week. 

"Changing this long-standing assumption means a gap is likely to be revealed in the MTFS, something we will need to address. 

"This will be considered as part of the budget cycle that has now started and I look forward to your input on that.

"Nobody wants to put up charges, especially as so many residents continue to feel the squeeze. As always, we will look to do this in the fairest way possible.

"Unfortunately, we also know the continuing financial challenges that all councils, including WDC, face. In addressing those challenges we have an absolutely fundamental responsibility as a publicly-funded organisation to continue to look to run our services better and more efficiently.

"That's why our change programme is so important.

"By focusing really clearly and in a very planned way on delivering our services better and with efficiencies, we can make those £2.5 million of savings that the programme aims for that minimises the pressures on fees and charges and delivers a win-win for residents."