The city council share of the council tax could be about to go up.

Warning that Norwich families could see council tax bills go up

by DAN GRIMMER Wednesday, September 12, 2012
7:45 PM

People living in Norwich are to be consulted over a 2.5pc rise in the council tax next year and whether the city council should revolt over controversial benefit changes.

Norwich City Council will need to plug a £1.6m gap in its budget in 2013/14 and plans to ask the public for ideas as to how to do that.

While the council says changing ways of working would save that money, it is proposing that, after two years of council tax being frozen, the City Hall share of the council tax should go up by 2.5pc.

At a meeting of the city council cabinet tonight (Tuesday), Alan Waters, deputy leader, said that would mean someone living in a Band B property in Norwich would have to pay about 8p more a week.

He said that would raise about £250,000 which could be used to protect key services or pay for new schemes and projects.

But another problem the council is facing is that, because of a government drive to slash costs, it is being asked to devise its own council tax benefit scheme.

The government currently covers 100pc of each local authority’s costs for those benefits, but from next year they will be given 10pc less to run their own schemes, leaving the council with a further shortfall of £1.5m.

A cross-party working group at City Hall has considered the issue, but councillors are reluctant to save money by cutting support to people on low or no incomes.

Last night, they recommended that they keep the existing scheme, but cover the cost of it by reducing council tax exemptions and discounts for second homes and empty properties, while using money collected through council tax to subsidise the scheme.

That would mean just over £630,000 in money raised through council tax, which is currently passed to Norfolk County Council, would instead be used to subsidise the scheme, along with just under £110,000 the police authority would normally get.

Consultation over the proposals will be launched tomorrow (Thursday), to run until December 6. Councillors will

them make final decisions next year.

8 comments

miss Larson...made up??? me???? big Eric earlier in the year....Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has been in touch with the following comment: "Town hall pensions are now costing over £300 a year to every household paying council tax. "This is why action needs to be taken to reduce the massive and unsustainable cost of state sector pensions, creating a system which is fair both to taxpayers and council workers, especially the low-paid."....fat cigar and smug face time!!!!!

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nrg

Thursday, September 13, 2012
Why only " reducing council tax exemptions and discounts for second homes and empty properties, while using money collected through council tax to subsidise the scheme."? Why is Alan waters proposing that Norwich's poor are paying for empty second homes council tax exemptions, when he should scrap this sop altogether?

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ingo wagenknecht

Thursday, September 13, 2012
Almost Paul , you forget though that a huge proportion of the people who keep returning this inept mob to city hall don't pay any council tax.

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Colonel Grumpfuttock-Horseposture (retired)

Thursday, September 13, 2012
Look you lot out there you voted in May for this lot you get what you wish comrades

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PaulH

Thursday, September 13, 2012
Council tax to go up again - as predictable as July following June! Why is there such surprise?

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biglingers

Thursday, September 13, 2012
public sector workers have it very good and they should not post rude and offensive comments in this paper.

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bookworm

Thursday, September 13, 2012
The article says: "At a meeting of the city council cabinet tonight (Tuesday), Alan Waters, deputy leader, said that would mean someone living in a Band B property in Norwich would have to pay about 8p more a week." ----------- but my calculator says - Band B is 1219.45 and 2.5% of that is 30.48 which divided by 52 = 58p per week. ........not 8p per week.

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expat

Thursday, September 13, 2012
2nd home owners..yes, empty property owners..yes, however, lets not forget that over 26 per cent of council tax goes to the gold plated pension pot for councilors and council officers.

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nrg

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Warning that Norwich families could see council tax bills go up

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