Final Council Tax bills decided for Melton borough residents

We reported last week that Melton householders in average band D properties faced paying an extra £100 a year in their bills for 2023-24.

And that was confirmed last night (Thursday) when Melton Borough Council approved proposals to increase its share of bills by 2.99 per cent, which represents an average hike of £6.50 for each household.

This followed Leicestershire County Council raising its share, at a meeting on Wednesday, by 4.99 per cent, which equates to £1.39 a week for a Band D home and which generates £17.7million extra for front line services.

It means that Melton borough residents in average band D properties will pay £224.14 to Melton Borough Council, £1,525.46 to the county council, £273.23 to the Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, £79.29 to the county fire service and £72.36 to parish councils through their Council Tax bills for the coming year. Total bill for an average household will be £2,140.31.

Melton Council say it has been a challenge to deliver a balanced budget for the coming year because soaring inflation, the ongoing cost of living crisis and a shortfall in adequate government funding.

The authority has had to take £140,000 from its reserves to meet expenditure in the year – it has also suffered a reduction in income levels which resulted in a forecasted overspend of £37,000.

The council is looking at ways it can maximise its assets to provide valuable new income with fears of a budget gap in future years.

Councillor Ronnie de Burle, portfolio holder for corporate governance, finance and resources said: “The Council has continued to manage its finances well against a background of reduced government grants and inflationary impacts.

"However, looking forward, we are facing a shortfall in funding against expenditure and uncertainty around the level of funding we will receive from central government.

"While we remain committed to continue to invest in our priorities, we shall also be working with officers to deliver the savings and efficiencies required to balance the budget in the coming years.”

County Hall, which takes by far the biggest share of Council Tax bills, say the financial outlook remains extremely tough with the authority’s budget gap set to rise to nearly £90million by 2026.Growing service demand will increase costs by £70million, with rising inflation forecast to add another £91million by 2026/27. On top of this, the National Living Wage increase drives up social care costs significantly and adds another £18million.

When setting their budget, county councillors aimed to protect public services as much as possible during tough economic times.

It will see major capital investment of £509m, service cuts totalling £3m, £59m of efficiency savings and the 4.99 per cent Council Tax increase to ensure the books will balance next year.An extra £1m has also been earmarked to offset the impact of service cuts and boost road maintenance, following better than expected government funding earlier this year – this includes £100,000 to continue rolling out community speed cameras.