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www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk
March 2020
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News
South Glos council tax to rise by 3.99 percent
S
outh Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) element of the council tax levied on local households is to increase by 3.99 percent from April. The latest rise follows uplifts of 2.99 percent in 2019/20 and 5.99 percent in 2018/19, the latter including a ring-fenced levy of 3 percent to support adult social care. The 2020/21 increase once again includes a social care levy, this time 2 percent, which is the maximum allowed by the government for the upcoming financial year. The increase means that the South Gloucestershire Council element of council tax for a Band D property for 2020/21 will rise to £1,543. Meeting on 12th February, councillors agreed to set a revenue budget of almost £232 million. The spending plans also include a further £219.2
million that will be distributed to schools. The council’s forward planning shows that its budget is projected to remain in balance for the next two years, based on what is known so far about the future of local authority funding. However, this assumes successful delivery of ongoing savings and transformation plans and requires the use of reserves.
Challenges ahead
The medium term – years two and three in the projections in these Budget papers – continues to contain challenges in order to balance the books. These are caused by continued falls in government grants and increased costs and demand for services, most notably across social care services. Work is ongoing to manage demand for costly social care support by investing to make
earlier interventions where residents find themselves in need of help, as well as to build extra capacity to deliver services within the district. Cllr Toby Savage, leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said: “We are pleased to have put forward and agreed a balanced budget, which will continue to invest in and deliver the services our communities have told us are important to them.” “At the same time, we remain committed to delivering the best possible value for money, while also taking action to respond to the climate emergency and improve our local environment, which is an investment in all our futures.” “We have been able to increase spending in some key areas this year, including on schools, where we continue to work hard to deliver our number one priority, which is to drive up educational Band
standards for all. That is just part of our focus on the future, which is why we are also taking steps to play our role in combating climate change as well as cleaning up our communities and investing in our high streets.” In addition to the South Gloucestershire element, bills that will be coming through letterboxes in the next few weeks will include contributions to Avon & Somerset Police (up 4.59 percent, on top of a 12.38 percent hike last year) and Avon Fire & Rescue Service (up 1.99 percent), and the precept raised by Bradley Stoke Town Council (up 1 percent), producing a grand total of £1,960.86 for a Band D property, an increase of 3.82 percent over last year.
2019/20
2020/21
Increase
A
£1,259.10
£1,307.23
£48.13
% Increase 3.82%
B
£1,468.94
£1,525.13
£56.19
3.82%
C
£1,678.79
£1,742.98
£64.19
3.82%
D
£1,888.63
£1,960.86
£72.23
3.82%
E
£2,308.32
£2,396.59
£88.27
3.82%
F
£2,728.02
£2,832.36
£104.34
3.82%
G
£3,147.73
£3,268.09
£120.36
3.82%
H
£3,777.26
£3,921.72
£144.46
3.82%
Total council tax figures for Bradley Stoke residents, comprising contributions to South Gloucestershire Council (including special expenses for services not uniformly provided across the district), Avon & Somerset Police, Avon Fire & Rescue and Bradley Stoke Town Council. Figures for other parishes will vary.
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