Cotswold District Council today set its Council Tax for the coming financial year. A meeting of full Council agreed to add £4.64 to its share of the annual average bill (Band D), a 3.5% increase.

Gloucestershire County Council has increased its Council Tax by 4.9%, or £48.35 per year for a Band D property, while the Gloucestershire Police Authority has increased its bill by £8.96 (4.99%).

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Tags: cotswolds | property

Cotswold District Council Leader Lynden Stowe has slammed developer-led proposals to build a mega “eco town” at Long Marston, Warwickshire. The site is barely half a mile from the specially-designated Cotswolds AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Cllr Stowe said: “This new town of ‘solar shoeboxes’ would be an unmitigated environmental disaster for the surrounding areas”In particular the wider infrastructure, extending well in to the heart of the Cotswolds will be completely unable to handle the huge additional volume of traffic that would be generated.”

“Nor would it be possible to build new capacity to highways, power lines, water, sewage and drainage systems without “butchering” the northern parts of the Cotswolds AONB, including Gloucestershire, Warwickshire & Worcestershire.

He added: “I can barely think of a more unsustainable location for an Eco Town. I urge the Government to place the whole scheme in the bin - for good”

Cllr Stowe was also angry that these proposals had not even been forwarded to Cotswold District Council as the neighbouring planning authority for comment.

Tags: cotswolds | conservation | property

Gloucestershire County Council’s Cabinet today recommended a 4.9% council tax increase for next year - which includes a 1.1% levy to tackle flood prevention.

Cabinet members voted unanimously to opt for a 3.8% rise, plus an additional 1.1% investment in drainage clearance (option 2 in the recent council tax survey).

The recommendation comes after Gloucestershire was hit by the worst flooding in 60 years during Summer 2007 - leaving the council with costs of £35 million and the likelihood of further floods in the future.

Cllr Ray Theodoulou, Cabinet Member for Resources, presented the budget report to Cabinet, he said: “This decision has been a difficult one but acknowledges the huge amount of public feeling we’ve seen since the floods of 2007, with people asking for much more investment in our drainage systems. I want to thank everyone who took part in our residents’ survey, the results of which have influenced the decision we’ve made here today. We are still committed to keeping costs low and providing excellent services, but this additional levy, if approved by council, will help us to address the urgent work needed to protect residents against future flooding.”

Cabinet’s decision was supported by the results of the recent council tax survey, in which the majority of people who took part (56.7%) voted for some kind of additional flood levy. In response, the Cabinet has chosen Option 2, which is a 3.8% council tax increase with an additional 1.1% to create a £2.3m ‘flood fighting fund’. This enables the council to raise £4m to spend on capital projects, so in 2008/09 the council will be dedicating over £6m in total to flood relief projects.

The council tax increase would equate to £1036 a year for a band D property, an increase of 93p per week.

The proposal will now go before a meeting of Full Council on 20th February, where all county councillors meet to make the final decision on next year’s council tax and budget. The meeting will take place at 10am In the Council Chamber, Shire Hall, Gloucester and is open to the public.

Source: Gloucestershire County Council

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Cotswold Council sets £10m budget for 2008/09

Tags: gloucestershire | property | floods

Cotswold District Council’s share of the Council Tax bill is set to rise by 3.5% - or just under 9p per week - it was agreed today.

A meeting of full Council set the authority’s net budget for 2008/09 at £10.2m, resulting in a £4.64 increase for the average Band D household to £137.15 a year for District spending.*

Council Tax makes up a quarter of the Council’s budget, with a further 25% coming from central Government support. Around 40% is made up in income from fees and charges, with the remainder coming from interest on the Council’s investments.

Council Leader Cllr Lynden Stowe said after the meeting: “The level of Council Tax reflects our aim to keep increases broadly in line with inflation and represents good value for money for the range of services we provide.

“Like all councils, we are facing increased financial challenges due to the rising costs of utilities and fuel and the increasing pressure on local authority pension funds.

“This year, Cotswold is seeing a reduction in Government support in real terms as rural districts have lost out to urban areas. We are left to find ways to bridge that gap and produce a balanced budget without passing on too much of the burden to our Council Tax payers.

“We’re doing this by working more efficiently, such as joint working with other Councils, and by increasing or introducing fees and charges, such as car parks and green waste.”

Budget consultation carried out by the Council revealed that residents believe the ‘user should pay’ for services such as car parks, leisure, museums and public loos.

In 2008/09, the Council proposes to balance its budget by making an additional £1.5 million in income and a further £160,000 in efficiency savings.

Cllr Stowe added: “Drawing up the budget is a challenging task but we are certain our spending reflects our priorities of a cleaner, greener District; providing value for money and supporting our communities.”

*Note: The total Council Tax bill for District households will not be known until the County Council and Police Authority set their precepts. The District Council formally sets its Council Tax on February 26.

Source: Cotswold District Council

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Cotswold Council joins crackdown on Council Tax fraud

Tags: cotswolds | property

Cotswold District Council is joining a national crackdown to ensure residents are not wrongly claiming Council Tax discounts.

All local authorities are required by law to take part in the Government’s National Fraud Initiative, overseen by the Audit Commission.

The Council will be using information supplied by property owners and residents to check whether people claiming the single person’s discount of 25% are genuinely living alone.

Portfolio holder for Property & Benefits Cllr Nick Parsons urged anyone claiming a discount whose circumstances have changed to get in touch with the Council so that their Council Tax bill can be reviewed and, if appropriate, be corrected.

He said: “Of course we are keen to make sure that anyone who lives alone is rightly claiming the discount to which they are entitled.

“However, we will be making checks to identify cases where there are two or more adults living at a property which should therefore not be receiving a discount.”

The checks cross-match information with other government departments and show whether more than one resident has ordered goods or services from an address.

Cllr Parsons added: “The Council must investigate and take action against false claimants in order to stop the burden falling on the vast majority of law-abiding council tax payers in our District. Council tax fraud is a criminal offence and cheats are likely to face prosecution.”

The Council is also urging anyone who lives alone who is not currently claiming a discount to get in touch and find out what they are entitled to by calling the Council Tax team on 01285 623033.

Source: Cotswold District Council

Tags: property | cotswolds