Council Set To Increase Its Share Of Council Tax Bill

Harborough District Council is set to increase its share of Council Tax by the maximum allowed by government.

It is proposing charging residents living in a Band D property £5 extra this year, taking its proportion of the bill to just under £178.

The authority has announced its budget plans for the forthcoming year, which also detail no rise in the cost of its garden waste collection service.

Speaking about the proposed increase in Council Tax, Council Leader Phil King told Hfm this:

 

Residents who subscribe to the garden waste collection service faced a controversial £15 rise last year, because the District Council could no longer afford to subsidise it by as much as it had been.

Cllr King told Hfm because of that, the annual charge will remain at £55 this year:

 

The Council faced a £4m budget gap in 2020/2021 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its finances, but has been able to deal with this through a number of efficiency savings.

It’s government grant for the forthcoming year is also set to be slightly more than expected.

Cllr King told Hfm the authority is in a much better financial position than two years ago:

 

The latest budget plan details a capital investment programme of £26.6m over the next five years and is subject to public consultation, before a final decision is made on it next month.

Have your say HERE

Leicestershire County Council is also proposing increasing its share of council tax bills by 3% from April.

The Police & Crime Commissioner and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, which make up the other parts of bills, have yet to announce if their charges will go up.