News, Politics

Rushcliffe plans to raise council tax by 2.46 per cent clears cabinet hurdle

By Latifa Yedroudj, Junior Local Democracy Reporter

---

Rushcliffe council’s planned annual budget – including a 2.46 per cent rise in its part of council tax bills for the year ahead – has cleared one of its final hurdles.

The plan for the coming financial year was discussed at a meeting of the Conservative-led council’s cabinet on Tuesday (February 11).

Cllr Davinder Virdi (Con), Portfolio Holder for Finance, presented the plans.

He said: “As with all councils, we are under financial pressure.

“Unlike many [councils], we are not making service reductions and are looking to continue improving our services and grow the borough.

“Our sound finances are backed up by having a balanced budget over the next five years.

“Excellent governance is the backbone of any well-run authority as we know, and we continue to be diligent and prudent.”

The proposed council tax rise would see properties in council tax Band D face an increase of £3.89 per year, bringing the annual charge to £161.77.

This would mean Rushcliffe’s borough council tax would remain the lowest in Nottinghamshire from amounts agreed so far in other areas – although final total household bills will include county council and other bills.

Rushcliffe’s proposed increase is down slightly from last year’s rise, which was 2.55 per cent.

The authority received a 0.9 per cent increase in central Government grant for the year – significantly less than the 6.8 per cent average Government grant rise for all councils across England.

The council received a £123,000 National Insurance grant but Cllr Virdi said this is “substantially less” than what is needed – adding the authority faces finding an extra £300,000 after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the rate of employer contributions will increase from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent from April.

This change is expected to add significant costs to local councils across the country.

Along with inflation standing at 2.5 per cent, the authority says it is receiving a “cut in overall funding” and now has to “raise revenue to ensure they provide the best services and continue to invest in the council’s assets”.

Residents will see an increase to certain charges to help the council meet the rising costs.

These include an extra £5 charge per year for second and subsequent household bins in 2025/26 and 2026/27 and longer-stay car parking charges in West Bridgford.

The council is also committing to a £27.1m spending programme over the next five years to maintain and improve the borough.

Key projects include West Bridgford town centre regeneration, improvements to leisure and community facilities, investment in play areas and parks and continued support for the East Midlands Freeport and Combined Mayoral Authority initiatives.

The cabinet approved the recommendations of the draft budget with a unanimous vote.

Cllr Virdi will present the financial plan at a full council meeting for final approval on Thursday, March 6.

Final 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.