At a meeting today, the Combined Authority approved its budget and mayoral priorities for 2019/20.

The agreed budget includes provision for:

• A £1 Fast Tag for city region residents and a freeze in the Mersey tunnel cash toll for all users;
• Investment in digital infrastructure to ensure that everyone benefits from the fastest broadband speeds in the UK;
• Using new mayoral powers to ensure that bus services in the city region work for the benefit of bus users and the wider economy;
• Continuing the procurement of a new generation of Mersey Ferries;
• Building a new smart ticketing system that will build upon, and eventually replace, the current Walrus platform;
• The development of a Mayoral Transport Plan that will seek to ease congestion, improve air quality and increase connectivity;
• Increasing investment in cycling and walking;
• The introduction of an apprenticeship portal to make it easier for those seeking apprenticeships to access opportunities;
• Continuing work to oversee the potential creation of a sustainable energy solution that harnesses the power of the River Mersey;
• Taking forward the development of the Liverpool City Region Spatial Framework.

The budget also sets out how much residents will be asked to contribute through a precept to enable the Metro Mayor and Combined Authority to deliver these priorities.

Under the proposals, 95% of households that pay council tax will pay no more than 32p a week, in order to raise £7.6 million per year.  96% of the money raised will enable the Combined Authority to develop and deliver its initiatives, while 4% will cover the running costs of the Metro Mayor’s office.

Those exempt from council tax will pay nothing and reduced rate allowances, such as for single person households, will also apply.

How much households in the different council tax bands will pay is detailed below.

The mayoral precept will raise £7.6 million to support the effective delivery of hundreds of millions of pounds of investments across the city region, including the recently announced £500m Strategic Investment Fund. It is expected that up to another £1 billion in additional funding will be secured over the next five years because of devolution.