COUNCIL Tax looks set to rise next year after what the ruling Conservatives described as an “inadequate” amount of Government funding proposed for the next three years in West Berkshire.
West Berkshire Council leader Graham Jones (Con, Lambourn) said the central government grant increase of 2 per cent for next year, taking the current amount of funding received from £27.8m to 28.3m, was “not realistic”.
He said: “They are way below the level of inflation and the national average increase of 4.4 per cent announced by the Government.”
The following year the council can expect a grant increase of 1.75 per cent and 1.5 per cent the year after.
Executive member responsible for finance, Laszlo Zverko (Con, Westwood) said the proposed grant did not come as a shock but was a “very poor settlement”.
“I’m concerned that again the taxpayers in the region may be burdened with making up the shortfall,” he said.
“There will be some kind of an increase in the council tax; myself and my colleagues are working on making efficient savings to ensure there will be a fair increase.”
The average Band D householder in West Berkshire currently pays almost £1,125 in council tax.
The Government’s key inflation measure, the Consumer Price Index stands at about 2.8 per cent, though Mr Zverko said fuel and interest rates raises this figure to more than 4 per cent.
Liberal Democrat finance spokesman David Rendel (Thatcham North) said he could see “no reason” for a large increase in council tax bills next year.
“This should mean that the Tories are able to avoid the mean cuts they stuck in last year’s budget which saw them cutting the funding for such things as children’s playgroups,” he said, adding: “I will watch with interest to see if they break with tradition and avoid the petty cuts to valuable services of their past budgets.”
The council is awaiting further information relating to specific grants and has until 5pm on January 8 to respond to the provisional grant settlement figures.