Council tax payers in Huntingdonshire will pay an extra 11 pence a week for the wide range of services they receive from the district council is a recommendation from its cabinet is approved

The cabinet met last week (Thursday 31 January 2008) to agree their recommendations on the budget to full council on 20 February.

Presenting the budget to members, Councillor Terry Rogers said; “The Government is, once again, threatening to cap councils that they consider have got high tax increases. We have therefore taken a balanced approach in our financial strategy. We have to fund inflation and we are proposing to fund some service developments. Falling reserves and keeping the council tax increase to the levels where we would avoid capping means we will have to find efficiency savings to bridge the gap over the coming years.

He added;” Our plans continue to provide investment in service improvements that reflect the needs of local people. The combination of sound budget practices and significant revenue reserves means that our budget for the coming year is robust and we are well-placed financially to deal with any unforeseen expenditure.”

Councillor Ian Bates, leader of the Council said; “The council’s long term approach to financial planning gave time to plan future savings in a careful and considered manner to ensure that it maximised the benefits for local people within the resources available.

The proposed increase of 11 pence a week works out at just under five per cent, the level above which the Government has announced that it will consider capping excessive increases. It means that residents in a band D property will pay £115.39 a year for services that range from safe car parks, clean streets, closed circuit television, housing advice and leisure centres, to refuse collection and recycling. This is an increase of £5.48 a year.

Huntingdonshire District Council has the18th lowest tax level out of the 238 district councils in the country, well below the average, which is £155.