Thanet council is proposing a 2.99% council tax hike

Financial management talks to take place

Thanet council is proposing to raise its share of council tax by almost 3 per cent.

Cabinet members will discuss proposals for the 2.99% hike on January 16.

The rise would equate to an extra £6.57 a year for a Band D household.

The proposal comes in the wake of continuing cuts to local authorities from Central Government. Thanet’s Revenue Support Grant (RSG) from central government is expected to fall to £809,000 for 2018-19 compared to £1.446m for 2017-18.

The grant has been slashed repeatedly in the last few years.

For 2013/14 the grant was £6.636m. in 2014/15 it fell to £5.131m and for 2015-16 this was reduced to £3.630m.

In 2016-17 the grant was £2.645m but this is expected to go down to just £98,000 in 2019-20 and it is predicted there will be no central government grant from 2020-21.

Previously council tax could not be raised above 1.99 % without triggering a local referendum but the government-imposed cap has been relaxed to allow for a 2.99% rise.

For authorities providing social care, such as Kent County Council, the rise is allowed to be as high as  5.99%.

Council tax is shared out amongst Kent County Council, Thanet District Council, Kent Police, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and Town/Parish councils.

Of the overall bill, Thanet District Council’s share is 14p in every £1 to pay for more than 30 different services.

This includes everything from running elections to harbours, planning to tourism, street cleaning to housing, community safety to recycling, maintenance of parks and sport facilities, to environmental health and more.

The proposed increase is £1.57 a year more than it would have been, if the Government hadn’t loosened the rule – which was previously set at a 1.99% increase.

This proposal is subject to final approval by Full Council on 8 February.

Read here: Proposals for hikes in fees and council tax as Thanet faces another cut in central government funding