Melton Council Tax bills set to rise by £7 a month

That provisional figure has been set by the borough council ahead of its full council meeting on Wednesday.

It represents a 4.69 per cent increase on bills for average Band D homes for the year 2020-2021.

Councillors will be asked to approve a 2.41 per cent rise in the borough council’s share of Council Tax, which equates to an extra £5 a year.

Leicestershire County Council agreed yesterday (Wednesday) to raise it’s portion of the bill by £67 a year for the average household.

This is by far the biggest element of the final Council Tax bill and reflects, county councillors say, a shortfall in government funding and increasing costs for adult social care.

The police and crime commissioner (6.43 per cent), combined fire authority (1.96 per cent) and parish precepts (35p) also request an increase in their share.

If approved borough councillors approve their rise next week, the final bill will see an £88 annual rise for those in Band D homes in the Melton borough.

The extra money in the Melton Borough Council coffers from Council Tax will help support its new town centre strategy and masterplan, to regenerate the local economy and help it recover from the pandemic.

It’s planned budget also includes funding for maintenance improvements, such as painting the town’s street furniture.

Money will be made available to support residents in hardship through an extended Council Tax relief scheme.

And an investment in new audio visual equipment is proposed to enable live streaming of future council meetings.

Further projects mentioned in the budget spending include a refurbishment of the footstone bridge at Melton Country Park and £100,000 for rural business diversification grants to support the coronavirus pandemic recovery.

The council will also give significant financial support for council housing services as part of its pledge to tenants.

We reported earlier this month that Melton Council had suffered a £1million loss in income as a result of the Covid restrictions over the last year, although some of the funding pressures have been eased by government support grants.