We’ve just approved our budget for 2021/22 which included a 6.95% rise in Council Tax for Band D properties and we often come across comments from residents asking “what does my council tax go on?”
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A very valid question so we thought we’d bring you the breakdown of what this year’s Band D was actually spent on.
In the list below you can clearly see that the majority of your Council Tax goes on Education, Adult Social Care and Children’s Social Care. All three areas are a priority for us as we aim to help our young people achieve their full potential, and that our more vulnerable or elderly residents are safe and their welfare comes first.
If you paid Council Tax is band D this year you paid £1,233.27 and this is where your money went:
- Education including Schools £526.15
- Adult Social Care £225.72
- Children’s Social Care £103.76
- Capital Financing Costs (i.e. cost of funding capital projects) £65.64
- Council Tax Reduction Scheme and Discretionary Rate Relief £56.80
- Waste Collection and Disposal £44.03
- Recycling Costs £42.81
- Fire Levy £35.05
- Highway Maintenance(including street lighting) £26.26
- Recreation, Sport and Open spaces £15.46
- Corporate Management and Other Central Costs £13.77
- Housing (excluding management of own council dwellings) £11.47
- Library service £10.51
- Democratic representation and management £9.03
- Street Cleansing £8.47
- Environmental Health (including food safety and housing standards), Trading Standards, Flood defence and Climate change costs £8.21
- Economic, Community Development and Business Support £5.91
- Culture and heritage £4.77
- Transport £4.46
- Local tax collection £3.58
- Planning and Building Control £3.21
- Tourism £2.42
- Registration of births, deaths and marriages, Elections, Emergency Planning £2.29
- Community Safety £2.10
- Coroner’s Service £1.38
For 2021/22 a 6.95% increase in Council Tax means a family in a Band D property will pay approximately £1.65 extra a week.
We will this year spend over half of the total Council Tax received on education, children’s social service and adult social care.
Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Finance, Performance, Health and Safety and Governance, said: “I can appreciate that a rise in Council Tax is not what councillors or residents want or need at this time but in order to provide and improve statutory services and maintain those such as Resource Centres, Libraries it has been absolutely necessary.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the budget process for ensuring that we bring in a balanced and legal budget as we are legally obliged to do.”
The 2021/22 budget was subject to a “Difficult Decisions” consultation and over 840 people took the time to give their views prior to the proposals being finalised.
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