By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
Council taxpayers in Newark and Sherwood could see their annual bills to the district council increase from April after the authority outlined plans for a rise.
Papers published by the council confirm plans for a 1.94 per cent increase in the coming financial year, equating to £3.53 for Band D properties.
But the documents say around three-quarters of homes across the district fall into Bands A to C, meaning many people in the area will pay less than this annually.
For a Band A property, the 1.94 per cent rise would mean annual bills increasing by roughly £2.35 per year.
The documents state: “The assumed council tax increase within these budget papers is an increase in the Band D equivalent of 1.94 per cent, or £3.53 per year based on the Band D average.
“As 74 per cent of the properties in Newark and Sherwood are in Bands A to C, the increase for these properties will be less than £3.53 per year.”
The increase will be discussed by the authority’s Policy and Finance Committee on February 21 before going to full council in March.
It comes as other Nottinghamshire authorities outline their plans for council tax in the coming financial year.
Conservative-led Nottinghamshire County Council – the authority that receives the highest proportion of residents’ bills – will increase its taking by four per cent from April.
For Band A homes this increase will mean annual bills rising by £42.16, with Band D properties to see a £64.24 rise.
Councillors on Broxtowe Borough Council backed the authority’s own plans for a £5 Band D increase last week, with the council’s proposal to go before its full council meeting next month.
For Band A homes the increase would again equate to £3.33 per year.
Labour-led Gedling Borough Council has also outlined the same £5 Band D proposals for its council tax, which brings the same £3.33 rise for Band A homes.
These plans will be debated by its cabinet this week before going to full council next month.
And Tory-led Rushcliffe has also moved a step closer to increasing its portion of the bill by 2.42 per cent – or £3.57 per year at Band D and £2.38 for Band A.
However, Mansfield District Council has already approved plans to freeze its precepts for the coming year after receiving what it described as “higher-than-expected” grants from the Government.
The Labour-led authority had initially planned a two per cent rise before receiving confirmation of its Government support in December.
And both Nottinghamshire Police and the Fire Authority have approved plans to increase their own precepts.
Caroline Henry (Con), the county’s police and crime commissioner, proposed a £9.99 rise for Band D properties, equating to £6.66 for Band A homes, which was approved by the Police and Crime panel earlier this week.
And the fire authority has approved a 1.95 per cent rise, which will see bills increase by £1.62 for Band D and £1.08 for Band A properties.
Ashfield District Council and Nottingham City Council are yet to outline their council tax plans.
However, more than 330,000 households across Nottinghamshire will not feel the council tax increases after the Government announced a £150 rebate for people living in Bands A to D.
The rebate has been brought forward to help residents in tackling the ongoing ‘cost of living crisis’, with energy bills due to soar from April.
The support will not need to be paid back and will be deducted from residents’ bills by the collecting authorities, with the Government to pick up the bill to allow councils to increase their taxes and invest in services.
It will affect just short of 90 per cent of all homes in the county.
