Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council proposes 10p per week council tax increase in 2025 budget

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has encouraged residents, organisations and businesses throughout the borough to have a say on its upcoming budget proposals.

On November 5, the council’s decision-making cabinet agreed to go out to public consultation on budget proposals that set out how the local authority plans to fund its services for the next year from April 2025.

To help fund the council’s services, an average 10p per week council tax increase is proposed, bringing the borough’s part of the council tax to £146.42 a year for the average household.

Basingstoke and Deane’s co-leader Gavin James said: “We are extremely fortunate to be in a position that few other councils are in.

“We continue to deliver our key front line services and are going a step further by investing a significant amount of money each year to improve these services for our residents.

“This is because we have managed our finances well, despite an unprecedented rise in costs, and we must not take this for granted.”

Proposals for the upcoming budget include continuing the significant extra funding for front line services introduced last year following feedback from residents.

This included an additional £750,000 to keep the borough’s streets and open spaces clean and well-maintained and an extra £180,000 to improve play areas.

New things to be funded next year proposed in the draft budget include introducing an extreme sports event next summer to boost activities on offer for young people in the borough and re-opening the public toilets for people visiting War Memorial Park in Basingstoke.

To support the council’s work to tackle the borough’s climate and ecological emergencies, investment plans include the roll-out of food waste collections and providing more electric vehicle chargers.

Plans also include exploring energy efficiency improvements for council-owned buildings and to boost the borough’s biodiversity. Additional funding is also proposed to help maintain the borough’s trees.

Mr James added: “To help pay for these high-quality services, we are proposing a small rise in council tax and some increases in charges for additional services we provide so we can cover the costs of delivering these services.

“Our aim has been to make this as fair as possible to minimise the burden on tax payers who do not use these additional services.

“Everyone in the borough has a role in shaping our budget for the next year to make sure it is a budget that delivers on what matters most to them.

“We want them, as well as businesses and community and voluntary groups, to share their views with us to make sure we are getting it right.”

To read more about the upcoming budget and to have your say on the proposals, visit the council’s website at https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/budget2025

The public consultation runs until Friday, January 3, next year.