Council tax support helping about 60 per cent of Rushcliffe homes progressed by authority

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Rushcliffe Arena
By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter

About 60 per cent of taxpaying homes in Rushcliffe may not feel the pinch of a borough council tax rise under plans to support households.

The Conservative-led Borough Council plans to rise its portion of council tax by £3.02 for Band D homes.

This is specifically for the portion of the bill collected to fund the authority, which makes up about seven per cent of the total tax bill for Rushcliffe residents.

The majority of bills will be paid to Nottinghamshire County Council, while around 15 per cent goes to fund the police and the fire service.

Rushcliffe Borough Council’s increase would lead to Band D homes paying the authority £153.95 in total for the 2023/24 financial year from April.

The rise works out at £2.01 more for Band A homes taking the total paid to the authority up to £102.63.

Band B homes would pay the authority £2.35 more from April, or £119.74 in total.

And Band C homes will pay the borough council £2.68 more from April, taking their total annual precept up to £136.84.

However, the authority plans to offset this increase for all Band A-D homes after receiving £123,000 from the Government in council tax support cash.

This will be used to credit the increase back into the accounts for all Band A-D homes where the property is the occupant’s main residence.

The council says this accounts for about 60 per cent of all council taxpaying homes in the borough.

The authority’s cabinet discussed the proposals during the meeting on Tuesday (February 14), with the plans to now be presented to the full council meeting on March 2.

Councillor Gordon Moore (Con) is the council’s portfolio holder for finance.

In the cabinet meeting, he said: “The net effect of this is a nil increase to their bill [if eligible]. This accounts for about 60 per cent of our housing numbers and acknowledges some of the current cost of living challenges.

“It means 60 per cent of our residents will see no increase in the Rushcliffe share of their council tax bill.

“The remainder of the bands above Band D will see a two per cent rise but this is well below inflation.”

It means households qualifying for the tax support will pay no more to the council compared with the previous financial year.

For Band A homes receiving the help, the total paid to the authority will remain at £100.62 for the year.

Band B homes receiving the credit will continue to pay the council £117.39, with Band C and D continuing to pay £134.16 and £150.93 respectively.

However, bills will rise from other angles due to increases from the county council, the fire service and the police and crime commissioner.

When totalled, their increases work out at Band A homes paying £68.01 more from April.

Band B homes will pay £78.50 more next year, with Band C bills rising by £89.01 and Band D by £99.51.

When factoring in the borough council’s tax support scheme, the county council’s taxes and rises from the police and fire services, total Band A-D bills in Rushcliffe borough are:

  • Band A: £1,489.63 (total increase of £68.01)
  • Band B: £1,738.16 (total increase of £78.50)
  • Band C: £1,985.75 (total increase of £89.01)
  • Band D: £2,233.35 (total increase of £99.51)

If residents live in a Band A-D Rushcliffe property but it is not their main residence, the total tax burden will be:

  • Band A: £1,491.64 (total increase of £70.02)
  • Band B: £1,740.51 (total increase of £80.85)
  • Band C: £1,988.43 (total increase of £91.96)
  • Band D: £2,236.37 (total increase of £102.53)