Council tax bills in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge will rise by £7.44 a year from April after an increase was supported by Town Councillors last night (Monday, January 19th).
Members of Burnham and Highbridge Town Council voted in favour of raising the council’s overall budget for the coming year to £1,437,785 from £1,324,115 last year to provide local services in the two towns.
The council proposed a £7.44 per year increase on Band D properties, raising them to £202.06 from £194.62 last year.
The Town Council says the increase is partly needed due to having to take on extra ‘devolution’ costs by providing services such as local public toilets, play areas, and floral displays that were previously funded by Somerset Council.
At Monday’s meeting, town councillors also agreed to earmark an extra £10,000 in the budget towards improved Christmas lights displays in Burnham and Highbridge in response to negative feedback on the town displays this past Christmas.
Furthermore, councillors also proposed allocating an extra £10,000 in their budget for a Highbridge shopfronts improvement grant scheme, identical to the one that launched in Burnham-On-Sea.
A Town Council spokesperson says: “The expenditure supports a wide range of services and facilities across the towns including maintenance of the cemeteries, provision of allotments and funding of some of the key events in the towns including fireworks and towns’ Christmas lights. “
”It also covers the cost of certain public facilities such as CCTV, benches, tree & hedge maintenance, the Princess Theatre and the work of staff to support residents and visitors. In addition, the Council has allocated a budget of £42,700 to award in grants to community groups and local businesses.“
“The budget also reflects the increased responsibilities taken on from Somerset Council, including additional costs for highways maintenance, floral displays, parks, and public conveniences.”
”The expenditure will be funded by a precept of £1,437,785 which will form part of the council tax along with the requirements of Somerset Council and Police. For a Band D property, this represents an annual increase of £7.44, bringing the Town Council element to £202.06.”
The £7.44 increase only refers to the Town Council’s portion (or precept) in council tax bills. Other precept amounts for Somerset Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), and the Fire and Rescue Authority have not yet been decided and will be used to calculate the overall council tax totals which will come into effect in April 2026.
