Councillors defend Council Tax rise for Melton borough

Members backed budget proposals to hike the tax by around £64 a year for people living in an average Band D property at their latest full council meeting.

The final bill is made up of contributions to the budgets of Leicestershire County Council, the county police and fire services, the 26 local parish councils. and Melton Borough Council.

Local authorities say the rise is needed because of the pressure on their budgets through insufficient funding and losses they have incurred during the Covid pandemic.

Councillor Ronnie de Burle, portfolio holder for corporate governance, finance and resources, told the meeting: “The average increase for the whole area is 3.21 per cent and, against that average, I’m delighted that Melton Borough Council has the lowest increase at 2.35 per cent which is well below the forecasted inflation.

“For a Band D property this equates to about 10p per week.

“We recognise that there are some in our community who may need additional support to help pay their bills following this change but please be assured we have support and resources which can be made available to anyone who finds themselves in difficult circumstances.”

The leader, Councillor Joe Orson, told fellow members: “Families are obviously hard-pressed, there is no doubt about that, and, as a natural Tory, I find any rise in Council Tax difficult.

“But a 2.35 per cent rise is about half of what inflation is at this moment in time.”

Those living in Band D-rated homes will pay just over £2,000 for Council Tax for the year from April.

Melton Council has decided to increase its share of bills by £5, which represents £217.64 out of the total projected Band D charge of £2,040.

By far the biggest share of the bill goes to County Hall, which has increased its share by 2.99 per cent, which represents £1,452 of the final Band D bill.

Other portions of the bill include the £10 rise to the county police budget (to £258.23) and a 7.22 per cent hike in the fire authority’s share to £74.29.

The final contribution to Council Tax bills comes from the parish councils’ share, which is to rise by 3.28 per cent to £69.66.

Residents living in properties rated between Bands A to D will get a one-off £150 rebate for the coming year to help with the anticipated significant increase in energy bills this year.