Residents in the Rochford District will have an average 0.7 per cent increase in their Council Tax for the financial year 2013/2014.
The District Council agreed a 1.97 per cent increase (£3.96 per annum) for their part of the Council Tax taking our Band D to £205.11 from £201.15. This equates to a rise of less than 8p per week.
Essex County Council and Essex Fire and Rescue Service have a zero increase while the new Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex has set an increase of 3.49 per cent or £4.77 per annum and the Parish and Town Councils have increased by an average of £1.96 (5.27 per cent). This means that the total average Council Tax bill for a Band D property in the Rochford District will be £1538.91 per annum – an overall average increase of £10.69 per annum (0.7 per cent).
Of the total Council Tax bill only 13 per cent comes to Rochford District Council with the rest going to Essex County Council (71 per cent), Essex Fire and Rescue (four per cent), the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex (nine per cent) and the Parish and Town Councils (three per cent).
The District Council remains committed to delivering essential services efficiently as well as focussing on set priorities for the coming year which include:
These are in addition to the important services the Council provide including Environmental Services, Leisure Services, Planning and Transportation and Revenues and Benefits.
Rochford District Council is committed to giving residents the best value for money and has been asked to reduced spending by £0.5m this year. This follows on from the £0.9m of efficiencies the Council was asked to find last year and £1.4m of efficiencies the year before.
The Leader of Rochford District Council, Councillor Terry Cutmore, said: “We understand that a lot of our residents are struggling in the current economic climate and it is with great reluctance that we have taken the difficult decision to increase our part of the Council Tax by this small amount. Recently an independent review of the Council said that we have a ‘strong track record of innovation’ and we have consistently found ways of delivering services that benefit our residents at a low cost to their Council Tax. We run one of the most successful and efficient waste and recycling schemes in the country, our leisure centres are second to none and we are always looking for ways we can further establish stronger links within our communities. To carry on delivering the services our residents expect and sustain the high performance levels we achieve both now, and in the future, we have had to take this difficult decision.”
Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources, Councillor Colin Seagers, said: “I would like to thank both Councillors from all parties and Council officers who have all worked hard to try and balance our budget as best as we can. It’s important to remember that, although we are the authority who collects Council Tax, we don’t receive all of it. Council Tax is split between several other bodies such as Parish and Town Councils, the Police, the County Council and the Fire and Rescue Service. However, even though we only take a small proportion of Council Tax, we still want to do everything we can to help our residents who are feeling the pinch in the current economic climate which is why we have opted for this minimal rise.”
