Bromsgrove councillors agree to council tax rise (From Bromsgrove Advertiser)

Bromsgrove councillors agree to council tax rise

12:00pm Saturday 23rd February 2013 in News

BROMSGROVE District Councillors have agreed this year’s budget, which includes a rise for the authority’s share of the council tax bill.

Plans to raise the council’s share of the tax bill were approved at a meeting of the full council held on February 20.

Councillors approved a cabinet recommendation for a Medium Term Financial Plan which increased its share by 1.9 per cent.

This mean that from April the authority's share paid by the average band d householder will rise from £192.85 to £196.51 - an increase of £3.66.

Residents living in parished areas of Bromsgrove also have to add a precept to that figure.

The financial plan balances the budget for 2013-14 by reducing spending, removing certain council tax discounts and uses working balances built up by the authority.

A report to councillors showed how with continued cuts to government funding, which will total 46 per cent of 2010-11 levels by 2014/15, the council tax rise would also help the council to sustainably balance the budget in the medium term.

Bromsgrove District Council leader Roger Hollingworth said: “This financial plan shows how this council is still driving to protect services and save money, from halving our senior management costs to sharing services with neighbouring authorities.

“We’ve saved millions per year from our costs without losing any services and this work is ongoing.

“All this comes in a time when, by next year, we will have had to have dealt with a 46 per cent cut in government funding as well as other financial pressures.

“After two years of tax freezes a 1.9 per cent rise has now been necessary to help balance the books – both now and in the future.”