Borough council tax up by £5 and bin fee frozen
Rise just over 4% in Hinckley and Bosworth
HOUSEHOLDS across the borough are beginning to get their council tax demand information for the next financial year.
As expected Hinckley and Bosworth Council is increasing its portion of the council tax charge for 2017/18 by a little over 4%.
This means the average band D payment will go up by £5 to £122.09 for the year. Parish councils have set their own precept which is added on top as well as the county council figure, plus £187.23 for the Police and Crime Commissioner portion £62.84 for the Combined Authority.
Leicestershire County Council put their portion of the levy up by 3.99% which will see a band D bill go up by around £45 to £1,172.38 from April.
The county has agreed to increases of 3.99% for the next three years - including the 2% the Government has allowed top tier councils to charge to boost funds for adult social care - and then by 1.99% in 2020/21.
Hinckley and Bosworth borough council had the 11th lowest council tax set by district councils and Fire in the country in 2016/17 and will remain well within the 25 lowest, even if it maintains increases of £5 a year for the next three years.
Councillor Mike Hall, council leader, said: “Last year the council faced deficit and uncertainty and we had to make some difficult choices. The strategy that we implemented means that we now have a balanced budget and the borough can face the future with confidence.”
No change has been made to the cost of collecting garden waste. The £24 charge was introduced last year in part to cover a hole in the authority’s finances.
It has proved more popular than anticipated and the unexpected revenue has helped boost a new grant fund which will back capital projects in the parishes.
The green waste charge is being frozen for all residents who use the service for the next two years, not just those who pay by direct debit as had originally been proposed.
Most councils now make householders pay for them to take away their garden refuse as former financial incentives from top tier authorities are no longer available to cover the cost and it is not a statutory service.
Hinckley and Bosworth now has the highest participation in a chargeable garden waste service in Leicestershire and the lowest fee.
Harborough introduced a £40 charge at the same time and 50% of all households joined their scheme.
The average fee charged by the other four councils in Leicestershire operating a garden waste charge is £36, while the average from across the country is also £36.
Neighbouring authority Rugby District Council has also just launched a £40 charge. Here ordinary rubbish bins which contain green waste won’t be collected.
Kathleen said: “It was a chunk of our retirement savings but he promised to pay back every penny.”
Over the next two years Roy worked as a roadie for Goodwill and they all went on holiday together – during which time the couple handed him £1,000 for council tax plus several loans of £300 or £400.
Kathleen said: “We reminded him to repay but it became a sticking point.
“We knew he and his partner weren’t strapped and we felt they were taking us for fools.” In despair, the couple went to Nuneaton County Court and got the repayment order in 2016.
But Goodwill insisted they owed him for wigs, a jumpsuit, belts and hairdos including a stylised Elvis quiff for Roy.
He told the Sunday Mirror the couple had taken him and his partner “for granted”. Referring to Kathleen, he said: “I’m not going to pay back the money until she deducts what she owes us.” WEDDING planners are invited to a showcase of all things nuptial at The Royal Arms in Sutton Cheney on Sunday (March 19).
The free event, which runs from 11am until 4pm, offers the chance for wedding parties to take a look at the facilities on offer at the country venue, including an event marquee and civil ceremony opportunities.
Wedding coordinators will be on hand along with selected product suppliers, offering ideas for making each couple’s big day that extra bit special.
Lunches will be available in the pub’s recently refurbished restaurant between noon and 3pm.
For a chance to win a bottle of champagne on the day, register your interest in the event by using the following link:
https://www. eventbrite.com/e/ the-royal-armswedding-showcaseopen-daytickets-31172949130