Town councillors last night approved a small 90p increase in council tax bills across Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge in a bid to help residents struggling in the economic climate.

Despite the increasing cost of providing public services in the area, the Town Council gave the go-ahead for the tiny 1.12% increase in council tax bills during their meeting on Monday evening (February 2nd).

The Town Council’s total precept for the financial year 2015-2016 will rise to £570,596 – an increase of £16,647 on last year.

With the tax base adjustment, the increase for an average Band D property in Burnham and Highbridge will amount to around 90p per year extra from this April.

Mayor Cllr Martin Cox said: “It’s a big achievement for the council to have achieved only a small increase in our budget when we have taken on a lot of responsibilities in recent years – with 10% of our budget going to running The Princess Theatre, and 17% towards jointly-funded services with Sedgemoor District Council such as waste bins, toilets.”

Cllr Chris Williams, who chairs the council’s Policy and Finance committee, added: “We are aware that many residents are struggling with their finances and are keen to keep council tax increases to a minimum.”

Town Clerk Denise Emery added: “This is a prudent budget that should allow the Town Council the necessary flexibility to carry out their increased responsibilities while not increasing the burden to ratepayers over inflation.”

 
Subscribe to our free news updates and join our other subscribers.
No spam, we promise. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details without your permission. View our privacy page
Select all options that you require: