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Council Tax rise –
now it is up 2.5%
Town Hall ext 100236b news
FINANCE chiefs are now recommending a 2.5 per cent increase in the level of Council Tax kept by Scarborough Council following a period of public consultation – despite government requests for no increase at all.
Members of Scarborough Council’s Cabinet is expected to endorse the recommendation on Tuesday before it is finally decided at a meeting of all councillors on Friday, February 24.
Nicholas Edwards, the council’s finance director, had previously recommended a rise of three per cent and has gathered people’s views at a range of public meetings in recent weeks. In his report to Cabinet he said the proposed increase would represent an annual rise of £4.69 for a Band C property.
He added: “Understandably one of the key points discussed and raised at the member forums and budget presentations was the proposal to increase Council Tax by three per cent in 2012/13 and turn down the Government’s offer of a one-off Council Tax freeze grant.
“The proposed increase was also one of the main points raised in the responses from the web based consultation exercise. Despite a number of residents and members agreeing with the proposal to opt for the long term financial benefits derived from a Council Tax increase in order to protect services over the long term; the general consensus from the feedback received was that the council should accept the Government’s grant and freeze its Council Tax levels for another year.”
Mr Edwards said that officers had considered the feedback and as a result the proposals had been revised for an increase of 2.5 per cent.
He had previously recommended that the Government grant funding should be declined because it was only for one year and would represent a total loss of income of around £2.2 million over a 10-year period – the council would have to make efficiency savings in future years to claw back the shortfall.
Earlier this month it was revealed that county councillors had recommended a freeze on the level of tax levied by North Yorkshire County Council – the county decision is due to taken on Wednesday.
More than 142 councils across the country have indicated that they will not increase council tax this year.
Scarborough Council is facing a 33 per cent cut in funding over the next two years – with a reduction in the Government grant of 14.6 per cent.
To ease the strain on household budgets council tax payers are being offered the option of paying their bill in 12 monthly instalments instead of 10 payments.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 13 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Capt Birds Eyes Pants
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 06:34 PMcant the council make savings of £4.36 a house? i could do that right now and NOBODY would notice or care.. make all council staff use thier own vehicles to get to and from work...
grandfather clock
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 06:06 PMregarding the statement of Nicholas Edwards finance director about the 2.5% increase in council tax he stated it would make £4.69 difference on band C surely this is more like £30 as band C is approximately £1220 and to think this man is head of finance!!!!!
Renshaw Woods
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 11:06 AMWe need to be told exactly where the extra 2.5% is going. It shouldnt be needed for existing services as the government wanted to give 2.5% to sbc. for these. mmmm
Earth Angel
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 08:54 AMThere will be a lot of unpaid council tax this year then as peoples wages haven't risen !
tinpotgodslayer
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 08:37 AMAnyone on here maoning who voted for this shower last May, might just want to think and reflect on what THEY were told would happen before the voting took place. YOU are now reaping what you sowed last year. Some people are just too blinkered to see a bigger picture.
joan greenwood
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 10:36 PMwe should all not pay for a month they cannot lock all residents up in the town What happened to to seeing the accounts of the Town Hall as usual zitch
Mr Do!
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 09:36 PMand so the theft continues............
heavensentmum
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 05:41 PMEven more contempt from those who were elected to represent us? Some of us have the intelligence to see through their tactics. It may be only £4.69 for a Band C property this year but that will have an extra percentage on top of it every year as did the unjust above average rise of two years ago.
TSnf
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 04:57 PMWe must remember that they have their i-pads to buy. Doesn't that make the increase worthwhile?
I read the news today, oh boy
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 04:56 PM"...the general consensus from the feedback received was that the council should accept the Government’s grant and freeze its Council Tax levels for another year.” "Mr Edwards said that officers had considered the feedback and as a result the proposals had been revised for an increase of 2.5 per cent." In other words, they've ignored the "feedback". Democracy in action, SBC style. When will the people of this town wake up and vote this lot out?
WhitbyJetSetter
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 04:39 PMSmoke and mirrors again! The government are offering a 2.5% grant to the Council if the Council Tax increase is kept to 0%. It doesn't take a genius to subtract the planned increase of 2.5% from the money we lose, 2.5%, to work out are getting nothing for our money with this rise. Doh!
ANARCHIST
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 04:14 PMPublic sector employees should now start financing their own pension instead of letting privatre sector employees subsidise it. That way councill tax has no reason to rise. All pension should be funded by trhe individual not the Tax payer
throxenbylad
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 03:45 PMMoney will probably be needed to clean up the North Bay swimming pool site of its contamination (tyres).
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