Council tax rises and what they will mean for you
DERBYSHIRE residents now have a solid idea of how much extra they will be paying out for council tax this year, with all of our authorities setting increases.
Council tax bills in the city and county are increasing again this year in what has been a tough 12 months for household finances.
All of our councils, along with the police and fire services, are setting increases, although for some this is more modest than those set last year.
Officials at each authority have made it clear that they are aware of the financial pressures of the pandemic but are mindful of their own budgets and the need to provide essential services. Many have described this as a balancing act.
Our annual council tax bills are set by several authorities – called precepting authorities – and the price we pay differs depending on the value of our properties, from Band A (the lowest) to Band H (the highest).
The average bill is typically based on a Band D property, although most residents live in lower bandings (typically A and B).
In Derby, most of your council tax bill goes to Derby City Council, which, as a unitary authority, provides most of the public services in the city – these are split in the county area. Portions of the council tax bill in the city also go to the Derbyshire police and fire services.
In the Derbyshire county area, most of the bill goes to Derbyshire County Council, followed by your local borough or district council, the police and fire services, in some areas a town council and numerous areas a parish council.
Money from our council tax bills pays for public health services (including Covid test, track and trace), road repairs, bin collections, street lighting, leisure services, libraries, adult social care including care homes, children’s services including adoption and foster care, along with vehicles, staff and officers and more technology for fire and police forces.
This year, our payments are set to get the county and city more police officers, new fire stations and rebuilt and repaired roads and schools, all while our authorities must continue to make budget cuts and find new ways of raising money to pay for services.
Band D homeowners in the
■■Council tax precepts for each Derbyshire district and borough council, with the percentage rise, value of that rise, total district or borough or city precept and the overall bill including county, police and fire. These will differ when precepts are added for town and parish councils. Derby is included but does not have a district or borough precept.
county area, living in either Amber Valley, Chesterfield, the Derbyshire Dales, Erewash and High Peak are seeing the largest increases in their overall bill in the coming year, at £55.27. This will differ if you have a town or parish council.
This is compared to £90.07 extra
for Band D taxpayers in Derby.
This margin of difference between the county and city is down to the city council opting for a maximum increase of 4.99%, compared to the county council’s 2.5%.
The area which will see residents paying the highest overall sum
(including all precepting authorities) is the Derbyshire Dales with an average Band D tax bill (minus town and parish councils) of £1,923.21.
This is £55.20 more than the lowest paying area, which is Derby with £1,868.01 – despite it seeing the largest overall increase – and £51.31
more than South Derbyshire, which is the lowest paying district.
South Derbyshire District Council set the lowest increase in its precept of all districts at 1.5%, with almost all other districts opting for the maximum £5 increase (they can pick 2.99% or £5, whichever is higher).
A WOMAN was “outraged” after she found a council had placed a skip on her mother’s grave.
Shannon O’Brien visited the resting place of her mum Catherine at Alfreton Cemetery on Tuesday and was shocked to find the large container of soil.
The 20-year-old said the skip had damaged ornaments the family had laid there, including a cross and a personalised memorial wreath.
Catherine O’Brien, a former environmental health officer, died at the age of 40 in November, 2019. She suffered from bipolar disorder and took her own life.
Shannon said: “We were absolutely outraged when visiting the cemetery that the council had done this to her gravesite.
“My mum sadly died to suicide and this was her resting place. For it to be treated in this way is horrifying. I can’t really put it into words.
“There was more than plenty of room for the skip of dirt to be placed elsewhere, but the council thought it appropriate to place it on my mum’s grave.
“They’d also tossed ornaments away from the gravestone like an old rag. I do not know how people can be so insensitive in their treatment of something so special.”
Shannon, who lives in Alfreton, says her mum had two science degrees and loved her job working as an environmental health officer.
Paying tribute to her mum, she said: “We all loved her and she kept the family together.
“She was really clever. She loved her animals and we’ve still got her two dogs now.
“She got really poorly with bipolar towards the end and it was a difficult time.”
Shannon said she contacted Amber
Valley Borough Council about the incident and was told the skip would be removed on Wednesday afternoon and that she should contact them “if the ground is not to our satisfaction”.
The council reportedly added that it would provide its teams with advice on giving sensitive consideration to where they place things in the future.
Yet Shannon said she felt its response was inadequate and remains furious that the incident occurred in the first place.
“We were expecting an explanation for why it happened because it shouldn’t have happened at all,” she said.
“They didn’t even mention the broken ornaments in their response. We are disgusted and distraught by this ordeal.
“We will be taking this as high as we can to ensure that it does not happen to anyone else again.”
Amber Valley Borough Council responded to a request from the Derby Telegraph to clarify why the decision was made.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: “The cemetery staff do occasionally have to place a soil box temporarily on graves within the working cemeteries in order to dig out adjacent graves, or where graves are re-opened for further burials.
“When this occurs, the council seeks to remove the soil box as quickly as possible and reinstate the grave to its original condition.”
The council added that it has been made aware of the incident and had apologised for any upset caused.
“A complaint has been received with regards to this and the matter is currently being investigated,” a spokesperson said.
“However, the council has apologised for the distress that this has clearly caused to the family and will be making further contact once the investigation has been concluded.”
We were absolutely outraged that the council had done this to her gravesite.
Shannon O’Brien