East Lindsey District Council proposes 3.9% tax rise

East Lindsey District Council is inviting residents, business and interested parties to have their say on its draft budget proposals for 2017/18 - which includes a council tax rise of £4.95 (3.9%) for a Band D property.
Council taxCouncil tax
Council tax

The proposals are a continuation of the five year plan that the Council consulted on last year.

In 2015, the District Council announced a need to deliver around £6,000,000 in savings over the coming four years as Government funding to support local services continued to reduce.

In the past year, the Council has reportedly made savings of around £1,000,000 and increased its income by £600,000, which leaves a saving requirement at the end of the next three years of between £3,000,000 and £4,000,000.

In recognition of East Lindsey District Council’s current council tax levy being one of the lowest in the country, the Government is allowing the Council to put its council tax up by a maximum of £5 next year, based on a Band D property.

The Council has subsequently proposed a £4.95 (3.9%) increase for 2017/18 – an extra 9.5p per week for a Band D property.

Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Nick Guyatt, said: “The budget proposals focus on ensuring the Council can provide the services that it has to provide by law, whilst at the same time supporting the most vulnerable people and helping to grow the economy of the District and create jobs.

“In the past year the Council has made some significant savings through new and more modern ways of working and that journey must continue. In four years’ time we expect the Council to no longer receive any Government funding to support the services it provides and the budget proposals aim to enable the Council to reach that position in a planned way.”

To read the full budget proposals and to take part in the consultation, visit www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/budget or one of the District Council’s ‘Customer Access Points’.

The consultation is open until 5pm on February 3.

Once the consultation is completed, the views of the community will be passed back to the Executive Board for consideration on February 15, and a report will then go to Council on February 22, 2017.