Fenland District Council set to REDUCE council tax
For the past four years Fenland District Council has frozen its portion of the council tax bill to reduce the financial burden on residents. Now, the authority is set to go even further amid the cost-of-living crisis, by proposing to cut its element of the council tax bill by 2%.
The proposal to reduce its council tax for the 2023/24 tax year will be decided by members at a Full Council meeting on Monday 20 February.
If approved, it would equate to over £162,000 total savings for residents.
Although members had already committed to at least freeze the council tax for 2023/24, if they had decided to raise the precept by 2.97% (the maximum allowed), it would equate to an additional cost to taxpayers of £241,000.
A 2% reduction in Fenland's portion of the council tax would mean someone living in a Band D household would pay just £255.24 a year for the Council's services, down from £260.46 in 2022/23. Most residents would pay even less as around 83% of Fenland's homes are in Bands A-C.
At Monday's meeting, members are also expected to reaffirm their ambition to freeze council tax thereafter through to 2027/28.
Cllr Chris Boden, Leader of Fenland District Council and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: "At a Council meeting in July 2019 it was agreed that raising council tax in any of the next four years would be a last resort in order to minimise the financial impact of council tax on all of Fenland's households.
"This year we want to go further and are proposing to cut council tax by 2%. We are one of very few councils in the country with a council tax record like ours, and we are incredibly proud of the fact that, thanks to good financial management, we've been able to achieve this while still delivering excellent services for local people."
Residents will still see a rise in their overall council tax bill due to proposed increases from other precepting authorities, including a 4.99% rise from Cambridgeshire County Council (including 3% for the Adult Social Care precept and 1.99% on the general council tax), a 5.80% rise from the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner and a 6.60% rise from Cambridgeshire Fire Authority.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has also agreed a precept for the first time in 2023/24, resulting in a council tax level of £12 on a Band D property.
Article date: February 2023
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