Small rise in council tax
Breckland Council has decided to levy a small increase in the tax it charges.
The rise works out at £4.98 for the average Band D home - or around 9p a week.
However 77 per cent of residents live in properties with less than a Band D rating and so will pay less.
Council leader William Nunn said the added income of about £170,000 would help offset the cost of its services at a time where cost-cutting was being heavily scrutinised.
Last year the Government said any authority increasing tax by more than two percent would require a public vote.
But it then relented and decided to allow councils with low tax bills, such as Breckland, to increase them by up to £5 a year if necessary.
Its share of the council tax bill has been £69 - the lowest in the country, said Mr Nunn, who represents the Lophams and Kenninghall areas.
It is only a small proportion of what residents have to pay, with charges levied by Norfolk County Council and the police being much, much higher.
The ruling Conservative Group on Breckland Council has also being looking at ways to bring in more money to offset savings of some £2.5million it is required by the Government to make in coming years.
But the group has decided not to introduce pay parking in any of its key towns, which would include Attleborough.
It could have brought in an extra £500,000 after costs but Mr Nunn said his group the impact it would have on the local economy and town centre shops would be too high a price to pay during these difficult trading times.
Officers had produced a study, which cost £14,000 in internal staff costs, so that councillors had a clear picture of the actual situation as they examine service costs and charges to bring about savings.
“We still have massive problems,” said Mr Nunn.
The pay parking decision is the view of the Conservative group and still needs cabinet and full council approval later this month.
But as there are 48 Conservatives out of 54 councillors on the authority the go-ahead is seen as inevitable.
Email to a friend
Print this page- BREAKING: Young motorcyclist from Eye who died in Fressingfield road crash yesterday is named
- Man, 25, from Eye dies after motorcycle collision in north Suffolk
- Man assaulted in hotel car park in Diss
- Is something sinister behind the missing Diss Mere Street chickens?
- Laptop and bank documents stolen during Diss burglary
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Diss
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North west
