> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Difficult budget decisions were needed at Lichfield City Council, leader says
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/difficult-council-tax-decision-was-needed-at-lichfield-city-council-leader-says/
- Published: 2024-01-29T08:02:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-01-29T08:37:50.000Z
- Description: The leader of Lichfield City Council said difficult budget decisions had to be made in the wake of challenges facing the authority.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:58, News

The leader of Lichfield City Council said difficult budget decisions had to be made in the wake of challenges facing the authority.

The Labour-controlled council set its budget at a meeting last week which agreed the precept – the share of the council tax bill taken by the city council – for an average band D property would rise from £68.76 a year to £73.76.

Cllr Dave Robertson, leader of the city council, said there was a need to try to overcome both national and global challenges, as well as addressing more local concerns.

> “Budget setting is always difficult, but even more so this year where the wider economic picture is difficult – a year on from Liz Truss and her Conservative pals crashing the economy and blowing inflation through the roof, Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and now there are increasing difficulties for shipping traversing the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.  
>  
> “The city council faces its own challenges too. Since the worst of pandemic and the longest lockdowns, under the Conservatives the general reserve of this council has shrunk by over £59,000 – 8.5% of its value – and all balances are down over £365,000  
>  
> “Difficult decisions have had to be made this year and the Labour administration are prepared to continue to do so.  
>  
> “We inherited, from the Conservatives, a structural revenue deficit, and this budget will close almost all that gap in this financial year while protecting important services. Despite that, the overall spend in this budget is lower than the one passed by Conservatives in 2021, by £79,000 with no major services impacted.”  
>  
> Cllr Dave Robertson, Lichfield City Council

Lichfield City Council [agreed to ditch spending on things such as the Sheriff’s Banquet](https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/city-council-agrees-to-end-funding-for-sheriffs-banquet-in-lichfield/) as part of the new budget.

Cllr Robertson said he was also keen that the authority continued to maintain services and support local organisations and communities.

> “This budget focusses on the priorities of people in the city, by spending £36,000 more on parks and footpaths than three years ago, supporting the voluntary sector by maintaining the grant aid and partnerships budget, and by protecting our heritage with £23,000 more in the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum budget than last year.  
>  
> “After footing a bill of over £500,000 that we were left by the Conservatives to protect our assets this year, we will continue to invest over £100,000 in the buildings we own so that they are available for everyone forever.  
>  
> “This is the first budget this decade – and probably ever – to properly plan for funding the nine-yearly twinning event due to be held in the city in 2026 by establishing a reserve. We are committing to contributing to it until 2026 and beyond that.   
>  
> “All that and it will cost the overwhelming majority of people in the city less than 10p extra per week.”  
>  
> Cllr Dave Robertson, Lichfield City Council