Decisions to be made on raising local Council Tax bills

Leicestershire County Council, which has by far the biggest share of money raised from bills, is proposing to raise its portion by 4.99 per cent.

And cabinet members at Melton Borough Council will be asked to back proposals to increase its share by 2.99 per cent.

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Rupert Matthews, has this month been consulting residents on hiking the police budget share by £14 a year for an average Band D property.

The final bills will only be calculated after each of these proposed raises have been approved and the fire service and parish councils have finalised their shares in Council Tax.

County Hall says its increase is important to balance the books and that the £20M extra it would raise would only cover the National Living Wage and National Insurance rises which have recently come in.

Councillor Lee Breckon, cabinet member for resources, said: "No one wants to increase Council Tax but without it, we’d have to make £20M more savings next year, and consultation feedback showed good support for our proposals.

“Thanks to taking tough decisions and planning ahead, we aren’t at the crisis point many other councils face."

The PCC, Mr Matthews, said an increase in the police share is needed to avoid cuts to services due to ‘inflation, cost increases, an unfair funding formula and the fact that the government is now only picking up part of the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions’.”