By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
All nine Nottinghamshire councils have set out their plans for increases or freezes to council tax from April.
Eight out of the nine authorities will increase their bills, while just one is freezing its precept for the year.
Figures show residents in Ashfield will pay the highest base level of tax for both band A and band D homes, while Rushcliffe would have the lowest base rate in the county.
This comes despite Government deprivation maps putting parts of Ashfield among the 10 per cent most deprived areas in the country.
Some Rushcliffe neighbourhoods are among the top 20 per cent affluent areas nationwide, Government figures show.
In Nottingham City, council tax is split between the city council, the police and the fire authority.
Nottingham City Council, which collects the bulk of income from city council tax bills, controls all services within the city’s borders – including bin collections, schools, highways, planning, social care and healthcare.
In the wider county, council tax is split between Nottinghamshire County Council, the district and borough councils, and the two emergency services.
The county council, which collects roughly three-quarters of countywide bills, controls services like healthcare, social care, education, highways and libraries.
District and borough councils, which collect less than 10 per cent of residents’ bills, control smaller services like town centres, planning, bin collections, housing and recycling.
The police and crime commissioner and Nottinghamshire’s fire authority are also increasing their bills.
It means from April, band A homes will pay the fire authority £56.38 and the police £169.50 for the year. Band D homes will pay the services £84.57 and £254.25 respectively. These changes affect all homes in the city and county.
All homes living in bands A to D will benefit from a £150 council tax rebate from the Government to tackle the ‘cost of living crisis’. This will be discounted from their bills by their collecting authorities.
Below are the plans for each Nottinghamshire council, how much bills will change by, and how this will affect residents living in band A and band D homes.
It does not include charges to parish or town councils and calculations do not factor in the £150 rebate.
Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council will increase its portion of council tax by 2.99 per cent from April. One per cent will be used to support social care services, with the remaining 1.99 per cent to be used for day-to-day spending.
The council’s rise equates to £56.77 for band D and £37.85 for band A homes.
With the police and fire authority tax rises, the total increase in the city amounts to £68.38 for band D and £45.59 for band A.
It means residents in band A homes will pay a total of £1,528.74 from April, with band D households paying £2,293.11.
Nottinghamshire County Council
Nottinghamshire County Council plans to increase its bills by four per cent, with three-quarters earmarked for social care and the remainder for day-to-day services.
This rise will affect all households living in the districts and boroughs of Nottinghamshire, hitting band A homes with an increase of £42.16 and band D properties with a £63.24 rise.
It takes the authority’s total band A and band D collections to £1,096.06 and £1,644.09 respectively for 2022/23.
Alongside the fire authority and police elements, the countywide council tax payments for Nottinghamshire – not including district and borough councils – is £1,321.94 for band A and £1,982.91 for band D.
However, district and borough precepts – which fluctuate depending on each area – bring this sum up.
Ashfield District Council
The Ashfield Independent-led authority will discuss plans next week for a £5 band D rise. For band A homes it works out at £3.33.
This is the most the authority is allowed to increase the precept without holding a referendum.
It will take bills paid to the district council up to £195.45 for band D and £130.30 for band A.
With the Nottinghamshire-wide bills, band A Ashfield homes would pay £1,452.24 with band D homes paying £2,178.35.
These are the highest rates in Nottinghamshire.
Bassetlaw District Council
Bassetlaw District Council also plans to increase its precepts by £5 for Band D and £3.33 for Band A homes.
The rise would take the Labour-led authority’s total collection to £188.48 for Band D and £125.65 for Band A.
With Nottinghamshire-wide payments, it means Band A Bassetlaw residents will pay a base council tax of £1,447.59, with Band D to pay £2,171.39.
Broxtowe Borough Council
Labour-led Broxtowe is proposing the same £5 Band D and £3.33 Band A increase.
It would take the council’s base collection to £176.85 for Band D and £117.90 for Band A.
Countywide collections take band A bills to £1,439.84 overall, while Broxtowe’s band D base rate would be £2,159.76.
Gedling Borough Council
Labour-led Gedling is the fourth authority to propose the same £5 Band D, £3.33 Band A rise.
Its collection figure would rise to £178.07 for band D and £118.71 for band A.
Including all countywide payments, band A homes in non-parished areas will pay £1,440.65, with band D homes to pay £2,160.98.
Mansfield District Council
Labour-led Mansfield is the only authority freezing its precepts from April, meaning band A and band D homes will continue to pay the authority £129.81 and £194.72 respectively.
With Nottinghamshire-wide payments, it means band A homes will pay roughly £1,451.75 while band D will pay £2,177.83 overall.
Newark and Sherwood District Council
The Tory-led authority is proposing a 1.94 per cent tax rise, with band D bills to rise by £3.53 and band A by £2.35.
It would see the authority’s base takings for band A and band D rise to £130.26 and £195.40 respectively.
With countywide charges, overall band A and band D homes would pay base rates of £1,452.20 and £2,178.31.
Rushcliffe Borough Council
Tory-led Rushcliffe is also proposing a 2.42 per cent tax rise, with bills to increase by £3.57 for band D and £2.38 for band A homes.
The increase would take the council’s portion of the bill to £150.93 at band D and £100.62 for band A – the lowest collection rates in Nottinghamshire.
In total, the base rate for band A and band D homes will be £1,422.56 and £2,133.84 respectively when factoring in countywide charges.
