Council tax bills in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge could be set to rise by 35.7% this year after an increase was supported by Town Councillors last night (Monday, January 6th).
Members of Burnham and Highbridge Town Council’s Finance and Governance Committee voted in favour of a proposal to raise the council’s total budget for the coming year to £1,324,115 from £952,901 last year.
The committee proposed a £51.21 per year increase on Band D properties to £194.62 from £143.41 last year, although the final figures are subject to a vote by the full Town Council later this month.
The Town Council says the increase – which equates to £1 per week – is being prompted by it having to take on extra ‘devolution’ costs. It will have to provide services such as local public toilets, play areas, and floral displays. These were previously funded by Somerset Council which says it can no longer afford to provide them.
Cllr Ganesh Gudka, the committee chairman, told Monday’s meeting: “A £1-per-week increase for Band D council tax payers is not an unreasonable request given what we taking on with these extra services.”
Cllr Barbara Vickers added: “It will be less than £1 a week for some council tax payers – that amount will be lower for those on some other bands.”
Cllr Kate Pearce added that for some local council tax payers, any increase is impactful, adding: “If you are struggling and on the bare minimum, then this increase will be noticeable.”
Cllr Peter Clayton added that Somerset Council had said it will no longer be able to fund public toilets, play areas or floral displays from April, so if the Town Council does not fund them, they would be lost. He added that bringing them into local control will have the benefit of enabling more improvements to be made at a local level.
After reviewing the Town Council’s draft budget during Monday’s meeting, councillors voted in favour of supporting the proposal, with one abstention, however a final decision won’t be made until the next Town Council meeting.
Cllr Gudka added that the Town Council will be seeking local business sponsorship for floral displays to help keep the increases to a minimum.
Councillors recommended against taking money from the £402,463 set aside in its reserves, partly due to a recommendation that councils should maintain 3-6 months of running costs.
