Residents facing another council tax rise

HYNDBURN residents are facing a large increase in council tax bills.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Clive Grunshaw and Lancashire County Council (LCC) have set out respective hikes in their council tax precepts of approximately 5 per cent and 3.99 per cent.

If rubber-stamped, the rises would add at least £40 a year to annual bills, and an extra £60pa for ‘average’ Band D homes - but could yet be larger.

The bulk of the projected increase is accounted for by the LCC rise, due to be discussed by county hall’s Cabinet on Thursday, February 6.

It includes a one-off 2 per cent rise to cover adult social care.

LCC receives around 70p in every pound paid in council tax.

Papers prepared for the Cabinet meeting ask the executive to note nine recommendations, including a revised funding gap of £33.3m covering the period 2020/21 to 2023/24 as set out in the revised financial outlook forecast for the council.

They add: “Agree to make recommendations to Full Council on 13 February 2020 a Band D Council Tax for 2020/21 reflecting a 3.99% increase including 2% to be used for adult social care as per the new flexibilities.”

Hyndburn council and the fire authority have yet to announce their budget plans, or whether their own council tax precepts will be increased.

PCC Mr Grunshaw said he was “frustrated” by the police increase - but claimed that government policy meant it was “the only tool in the box” to help bridge a funding gap for the constabulary.

That rise - piling almost £4.5m on to council tax bills across Lancashire to fund policing - would add around £7pa for most Band A households, and more for higher band properties.

Mr Grunshaw also warned it would be necessary to manage the public’s expectations about the impact of 153 new officers to be recruited in the county over the next 12 months - because Lancashire will still be left with 600 fewer frontline police than it had back in 2010. The Government has pledged to fully fund the cost of the extra officers, the first tranche of its pledge to put 20,000 new police on the streets within the next three years.

The Home Office says that it is part of the most generous funding settlement in a decade, which will see Lancashire with £22.6m more to spend from April than it had during 2019/20.

But within that figure is an assumption that the PCC will take up the opportunity to hike the police precept.

That will raise £4.4m, but the Lancashire force still faces a budget shortfall of £1.3m.