Bigger bills for ratepayers in all but one council area

TEN of Northern Ireland’s 11 councils are to raise their rates from April.

The exception is Causeway Coast and Glens, which is freezing bills.

The move will see most councils increase their rates by around 3%, with Newry, Mourne and Down recording the biggest increase at 3.38%.

Other than Causeway Coast and Glens, the smallest increase was for Belfast City Council, where a rise of 1.98% was agreed upon at a recent council meeting.

In Belfast the council says homeowners will see an increase of less than £1 per month on average, or less than £10 a year.

It is the third year that Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has frozen its rates, and the council has said it will instead aim to make efficiency savings of £1.7m.

The chair of Newry, Mourne and Down Council, Roisin Mulgrew (right), said it had been “careful in setting a realistic rate”.

She said: “When the council sets the rate, it is mindful of the importance of fulfilling our commitments to all our citizens, while at the same time ensuring that we are aware of the difficult economic circumstances many of our ratepayers, both domestic and non-domestic, are experiencing.

“We believe that the council has been very careful in setting a realistic rate for 2018/19 and that this will allow us to continue to develop the well-being of our citizens, the economic prosperity of our area — as well as ensuring the delivery of high quality services that our residents require and expect.”

Almost everyone who lives in a property in Northern Ireland is required to pay rates.

The money goes towards services including schools, hospitals, roads, bin collections, parks, and leisure centres.

Rates here are made up of a regional rate — which is set by the Executive and is the same across all councils — and the district rate, which is set locally by each council.

The regional rate for the forthcoming financial year has yet to be announced.

In December a briefing paper produced by the Department of Finance suggested a possible 10% increase in regional rates.

That could end up adding £100 to the average annual household bill.

The rates will come into effect from the start of April for the 2018/19 financial year.