Nottinghamshire County Council tax due to rise by just under five per cent

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By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter

Nottinghamshire County Council tax is expected to rise again by just under five per cent- meaning more than half of the county’s residents will pay up to £68 more each year.

The council has confirmed a 4.84 per cent rise for the year beginning April 2025 for its part of household tax bills. This includes a two per cent increase in a precept to cover adult social care.

The rise is 0.15 per cent below to maximum amount the Government allows councils to increase taxes by.

Just over 59 per cent of properties in Nottinghamshire are in tax bands A and B, meaning most households in the region will have an increase of less than £1.20 each week.

The average weekly increase for all homes in the county will be £1.43.

County Council Leader Cllr Sam Smith (Con)

Council Leader Sam Smith said households would have ended up paying £60 more on average if the council had chosen to increase council tax by the maximum amount allowed.

Cllr Richard Jackson (Con), cabinet member for finance, said: “We recognise the cost of living and pressures across the county.

“The government made it clear they expect councils to go up to five per cent, we were determined to keep it below five- I’m pleased we’ve managed to do so.”

In 2022 the authority raised its part of council tax by two per cent and increased it by 2.84 per cent in the years following including, the financial year starting this April.

The fill County Council tax increases are as follows: Band A properties will pay £58.31 more for the year, with Band B paying £68.02 more, Band C paying £77.75 more, Band D paying £87.46 more, Band E paying £106.90 more, Band F paying £126.33 more, Band G paying £145.77 more and Band H paying £174.92 more.

The Conservative-led authority’s budget gap is expected to be a shortfall of £21.8 million by 2028. It was previously anticipating a funding shortfall between 2025 to 2028 of up to £36 million.

Following Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget in October 2024, the council said it faces £31 million in additional costs in social care due to increased minimum wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions.

Cllr Richard Jackson, cabinet member for finance

Cllr Richard Jackson, cabinet member for finance, said: “We’re not immune to inflation, inflation has stayed higher than anyone expected.

“We set the budget, we’ve had to take a middle approach to that, but we push back on inflationary pressures all the time.

“Also a lot of our ongoing contracts are inflation- proofed in how we procure things, particulary energy, we have a good track record of buying energy at the right place and time to lock in the price.”

He added that the council is looking at a £7.1 million extra cost on adult social care over the next financial year compared to the current one due to the rise in demand and impact of National Insurance Contributions.

Cllr David Martin, speaking on behalf of the Nottinghamshire County Independent Group, said: “Residents are about to see their council tax going up yet again for the fourth consecutive year, this time by close to £90 a year. Putting Council Tax up 4.84 per cent and not by the maximum 4.99 per cent a year is a difference of £2.89.

“This is no cause for celebration. This is not even enough to buy a single bus ticket from Selston to Nottingham – it won’t even save taxpayers a penny a day. Celebrating this as an achievement is an insult to hard-pressed Council Tax payers.

“The Conservatives need to drop the rhetoric and cut the spin. Since they took over this Council in 2017, council tax has risen £351.88 a year for the average council tax payer.”

He added the group would oppose the rise. The planned increase must now go before a council cabinet meeting and then a full council meeting for discussion.

Cllr Kate Foale, Leader of the Labour Group at the council, added: “Even as they raise council tax on local residents, the Tories still come up millions of pounds short after over a decade of chronic underfunding of councils by the last Conservative government.

I’ve lost track of how many financial projections we’ve had from this Tory administration in the last year. It is, however, no coincidence that with a Labour government increasing council spending power, the medium-term shortfall is less than a third of what it was under Rishi Sunak.

“We finally have a government that understands councils and wants Nottinghamshire to thrive.”

Final total household council tax bills in Nottinghamshire include portions for either the county or city council, plus a district or borough council, and contributions for the police and fire services.

All these authorities are now setting rates for the year ahead, with final total bills known in March.

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