Proposed council tax rise for people living in Wellingborough

Council tax for Wellingborough will be discussed next week

A flat increase of £5 in council tax for 2016-17 was discussed by Wellingborough Council’s resources committee earlier this month and could be rubber-stamped at a meeting of the full council on March 1.

Documents published ahead of the meeting state: “The resources committee has considered the budget proposals for 2016-17 to 2019-20 as part of the medium term financial plan and its recommendation is to increase the borough council element of council tax in 2016-17 by £5 to £100.71.

“The committee also recommends increasing the council tax in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 by either £5 or 1.99 per cent, whichever is the greater, subject to meeting the referendum criteria.”

The documents also say the council has determined that its relevant basic amount of council tax for 2016-17 is ‘not excessive in accordance with principles approved under Section 52ZB Local Government Finance Act 1992.’

The proposed rise for people living in the borough comes as Northamptonshire County Council’s cabinet recommended a tax increase of 3.95 per cent, which included two per cent for a social care precept at a meeting on February 18.

It will now be considered at the county council’s meeting on February 29.

The police and crime commissioner has also put forward a 1.99 per cent increase on its precept.

Wellingborough Council is currently one of 51 councils in the country with the lowest level of council tax, which saw it ranked as the 24th lowest in 2015-16.

The report considerd by the resources committee earlier this month showed that even if the council tax was to increase by £5 per annum for each year over the medium term, the council would still be in the lowest quartile and one of the lowest council taxes in the country.

A £5 increase on a Band D property is an increase of 5.22 per cent, which is equal to about 10p per week or 42p per month.

To find out how the proposed increases could affect how much you pay, including the parish precepts for villages in the Wellingborough area, click here

The full council meeting starts at 7pm on Tuesday, March 1, in the council chamber at Swanspool House, Wellingborough.