Final numbers crunched on council tax increases
Council tax bills in Telford and Wrekin are set to rise by an average of 5.13 per cent when the next demands are sent out, a report shows.
Finance experts at Telford & Wrekin Council have crunched the final numbers in time for a meeting of the full council next week when proposed increases will be put to a vote of all 54 councillors.
Telford & Wrekin Council is looking to put its element of the tax up by the maximum allowed – 4.99 per cent – and put every penny into caring for vulnerable adults and children.
The other portions of the total bill have also been finalised by the local fire and police authorities as well as town and parish councils.
“The increases in overall council tax will vary dependent on parish area,” a report to the meeting of the full council on Thursday (February 26) said.
“Overall the total average bill has increased by 5.13 per cent after including the increases by West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority and the average increase applied by parish and town councils.”
The average band D council tax bill in the borough will be £2,256.25 with £1,694.19 going to the borough council, £306.50 to the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, £124.44 to the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority and £131.12 on average to parish and town councils, which is an increase of 7.86 per cent.
But officials point out that although the band D figure is the national yardstick the majority of properties in the borough actually fall in bands A and B, with the average for a band A property being £1,504.16 and for a band B property £1,754.86.
The lowest total band B bill across the 29 parishes and towns in the borough is in Eyton on the Weald Moors, at £1,640.89, and the highest is for Great Dawley Town Council at £1,928.17.
Great Dawley is one of the areas in the borough which has not taken over responsibility for footway lighting and pays the borough council £30.13 per band D property to do this.
The market towns of Newport and Wellington have very similar band B demands: £1,758.19 and £1,763.79 respectively.
The meeting next Thursday will be held in public at Southwater One from 6pm.
The borough council is made up of 38 Labour members, seven Conservatives, six Liberal Democrats and three Independents.
