Borough hikes council tax to fund its spending
COUNCIL tax will rise by 4.2 percent in a Notts borough – one of the biggest rises in the country.
Rushcliffe borough councillors voted through the tax hike, which they say will help pay for the authority's spending proposals.
The increase will mean householders in a Band D property will pay the borough council £117.99 a year from April, an increase of £4.77.
Since council tax is made up of payments to Notts County Council, the police and fire service, in addition to the borough council, the total annual tax bill for a band D property in Rushcliffe will increase from £1,542.50 to £1550.51.
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Claire Maguire, of Musters Road, West Bridgford, said she was surprised the council was increasing her bills.
The 25-year-old said: "Councils like Rushcliffe were offered money (from the Government) to stop council tax from rising and I think it would be better to take it like other places have.
"Our finances are quite tight at the moment and we are counting the pennies. I haven't had a pay rise for a while and nor has my husband, so we'll have to cut back on something else to pay the extra. No-one wants to be paying more when the services will still be the same."
The Department for Communities and Local Government had said councils would need a referendum to increase council tax bills by more than two per cent. Many authorities that have increased council tax have ducked just below this figure, such as Nottingham City Council, which decided to increase rates by 1.95 per cent earlier this week.
But Local Government minister Brandon Lewis has said that the 50 lowest taxing authorities – including Rushcliffe – could increase rates by more than this to deal with funding issues in the future.
As part of the budget plans, the council agreed to spend £1.8 million on replacing vehicles such as bin lorries and vans as well as helping with large projects such as the A453 and bringing broadband to rural areas.
Council leader Neil Clarke said: "Over the past two years inflation has increased by approximately seven percent. We have, through innovation, challenge and prudent management, been able to save over £2.5 million and freeze the council tax.
"However, the council now needs to start to look to the future. In December, the Government finally recognised that prudent, efficient councils face a challenge to make savings without impacting on services.
"As a result, I have recommended a modest increase in council tax that will see bills for the majority of increase by under ten pence per week."
Increasing the council tax means Rushcliffe has an additional £186,000 per annum, £131,000 more than is available from the council tax freeze grant. In addition, this funding is a guaranteed element of the council's funding in future years.
9 Comments
by cliftonred1
Monday, March 11 2013, 7:40PM
“Don't worry people i'm sure they will give themselves a pay rise or fat bonus after all we only need to shed a few more jobs or close down some other services and then we can employ somebody else on a fat salary to find away of cutting things back even further. What do they care”
by mof_gedling
Sunday, March 10 2013, 9:32PM
“mr council , if you live within your means then i can live within mine,try to tax blood from a stone and it means only one thing, the peasants will revolt,
off with their heads”
by DavidStapleFd
Sunday, March 10 2013, 7:27PM
“Mr B Nottm
Read the complete article. 'The total annual tax bill for a band D property in Rushcliffe will increase from £1542.50 to £1550.01.'
Each family will have to cut back on the equivalent of 1 ciggie every fortnight, or you could save enough on electricity by reading articles properly then switching off your computer, there doesn't that make you feel better?”
by MR_B_NOTTM
Sunday, March 10 2013, 5:55PM
“DavidStapleFd
i don't know how much your council tax is but mine is approx. £125 a month. so it won't be 15p a week rise but over a pound or £50+ a year. does anybody think we get a good service to justify any sort of rise. no i didn't think so. and as for having to pay £25 a year extra to have your garden waste collected, don't even get me started on that one.”
by SteveBasford
Sunday, March 10 2013, 1:26PM
“I'll glady pay an extra 4% if the council starts being 4% less awful.”
by Neo_MadBadger
Saturday, March 09 2013, 5:49PM
“Where's Harrystotle? He usually posts on stories about council tax.”
by DavidStapleFd
Saturday, March 09 2013, 5:29PM
“Got to find an extra 15p a week, how will we all cope?”
by dickyden
Saturday, March 09 2013, 12:03PM
“The phrase used by Neil Clarke " prudent management" says it all, this was the term very frequently use by that man Gordon Brown, remember him? He presided over the worst fiscal management any comparable western country has seen since 1949.”
by Vox_Populii
Saturday, March 09 2013, 8:13AM
“Remember how the County Council 'put money back in my hard up pocket' with their 47p a week freeze? Rushcliffe have just destroyed that in one fell swoop.
I hope the Tory double-dippers who sit on both County AND Rushcliffe voted against this.”