Council tax charges set to rise

Mid Sussex District Council’s portion of the council tax bill is set to rise by 2.8 per cent in April.

If approved by the full council on March 2, the increase will see Band D charges rise from £175.41 to £180.36.

The changes, along with the draft budget for 2022/23, were discussed at a cabinet meeting on Monday (February 14).

The draft budget looks healthier than previously feared. Total revenue spending will be £17.7m, a fraction higher than last year.

In January, a budget gap of £545,000 was forecast but the meeting was told it now stands at £183,000. The gap will be closed through the use of money from the general reserve.

A budget gap of £1.395m has been forecast for 2023/24.

As well as the revenue spending, some £1.92m of capital projects have been planned.

They include the replacement of the district’s rubbish and recycling wheelie bins over the next two years and the next phase of the Oaklands window replacement programme.

The shadow of the pandemic will fall over the council’s finances for some time. A huge loss of income from car parking charges was compounded by the need to subsidise the district’s leisure centres.

A report to the cabinet said income of £600,000 from the leisure centres was forecast for 2022/23 but was ‘by no means a certainty’.

It added: “Despite a gradual improvement, the substantial impact on the viability of leisure centres has continued throughout the year, and this has required the council to significantly subsidise the service.

“Work with Places Leisure will continue over the coming year to optimise leisure centre usage and minimise the ongoing burden on the taxpayer.”

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, leader of the council, said: “This is a good, strong budget that’s responding to the challenges as we come out of the pandemic.”