Disparities in council tax value for money
VARYING crime rates, school standards and road conditions mean some people’s council taxes are going further than others.
Since April, district councils have been handing out £150counciltaxrebatestoresidents, following orders from central government.
But new research from money.co.uk - which examined things like the percentage of roads needing repairs and how much household wasteisrecycled-showeddisparities in the value of council tax across Hampshire.
The study showed that people in East Hampshire get the best deal, with highly-rated schools and care homes.
By contrast, people living in Gosport and Southampton are getting the least for their money, with high levels of crime and poor recycling rates.
A spokesperson for East Hampshire District Council added:‘Wearealwaysstriving to provide our residents with value-for-moneyservicesand we are delighted that this has been picked out.’
Gosport Borough Council, whichscoredthelowestinthe study, said it wasn’t an accurate representation.
Aspokesmansaid:‘It'smisleading because as a district council, Gosport Borough Council is not responsible for anyoftheserviceslisted,apart from recycling. We're aware that our recycling rate is low and we're working to improve it further.
‘We're working hard to engage directly with residents on this issue through events, neighbourhood surgeries and communitygrouptalksaswell as through schools.’
Social care is provided by Hampshire County Council.
The county council manages schools - excluding those that have become academies.
InthefulllistofHampshire councils, Portsmouth is also towards the bottom for council tax value for money, while Fareham sits towards the top.
Portsmouth scored poorly on recycling and crime rates, as well as social care - which it runs itself as a unitary authority.
Andy Biddle, director of adult social care for Portsmouth, said: ‘The council and CCG have worked with care providers throughout the pandemic to support them to maintain the quality and safety of their service and work closely with any where quality of care is an issue.
‘CQC suspended their inspections at the start of the pandemic and have now moved to a different regulatory regime, so some care homes have made significant improvementssincetheirlast inspection but their existing rating has not changed.’
Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Cllr Sean Woodward, said: ‘It is great to see that the Council has been recognised so positively in relation to the value we provide to the Fareham community.
‘We work incredibly hard to make sure that our services run as efficiently as possible and we do this through meticulous financial management. As a result we have one of the lowest council tax rates in the country.’