Residents face 4 per cent hike in County Council share of tax bills

Lincolnshire county coucillors today (Friday) agreed to a council tax increase of £44.59 per year for owners of a band D proprerty.
Council tax increaseCouncil tax increase
Council tax increase

The agreement was reached at a meeting at County Hall earlier today as councillors voted for an increase of 1.95 per cent with an additional 2 per cent adult care precept.

The council says Band D property owners will have to pay an additional 86 pence per week.

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However, home owners will face a bigger hike when district council and town and parish council elements of council tax bill are added in.

Lincolnshire Police are also increasing their precept.

The county council increase will generate additional income of around £9.8m which will contribute to the funding shortfall the council is facing from decreasing government grants and additional costs, particularly from adult care.

As well as the increase in council tax, the council will also be using almost £18m of reserves, as well as £39m of savings the council has agreed.

Leader of Lincolnshire County Council Martin Hill said: “For this next financial year, our general government grant has reduced to £48m from £70m this year.

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“We are also facing around £26m of increased costs, including nearly £7m from the care needs of an ageing population, around £5m from the national living wage increase.

“To meet this budget shortfall, we have used some of our reserves, and balanced this with finding further savings.

“We have had to cut services and these are difficult decisions, but we know that we will be facing further challenges balancing our budgets in future years, and we must do the responsible thing today.

“By 2020, our government grant will have reduced by more than 90% in less than a decade, and our main source of income will be council tax.

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“However, we will continue to lobby the government for fairer funding – especially to meet more of the costs of adult care- rather than expecting local people to foot the bill.

“Despite this harsh financial backdrop, I am proud of what we have achieved as a council recently in finding new and innovative ways to deliver and improve our services.

“93% of primary school age children now attend a school judged good or outstanding; we have had national recognition for our re-commissioning of home care services; to support economic development, we’ve completed Teal Park, the Holbeach Technology Park and Sutton Bridge Marina; and we’ve also been recognised as one of the top two highways authorities in the country, attracting significant extra funding to fill potholes.”