Town councillors last night approved a small 90p increase in council tax bills across Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge in a bid to help residents struggling in the economic climate.
Despite the increasing cost of providing public services in the area, the Town Council gave the go-ahead for the tiny 1.12% increase in council tax bills during their meeting on Monday evening (February 2nd).
The Town Council’s total precept for the financial year 2015-2016 will rise to £570,596 – an increase of £16,647 on last year.
With the tax base adjustment, the increase for an average Band D property in Burnham and Highbridge will amount to around 90p per year extra from this April.
Mayor Cllr Martin Cox said: “It’s a big achievement for the council to have achieved only a small increase in our budget when we have taken on a lot of responsibilities in recent years – with 10% of our budget going to running The Princess Theatre, and 17% towards jointly-funded services with Sedgemoor District Council such as waste bins, toilets.”
Cllr Chris Williams, who chairs the council’s Policy and Finance committee, added: “We are aware that many residents are struggling with their finances and are keen to keep council tax increases to a minimum.”
Town Clerk Denise Emery added: “This is a prudent budget that should allow the Town Council the necessary flexibility to carry out their increased responsibilities while not increasing the burden to ratepayers over inflation.”
