Cheltenham Council Tax to Rise by 3.5%

Cheltenham Borough Council’s draft budget proposes a council tax increase in of 3.5%. For a D band property this is an increase £6.20 per year or 12p per week, bringing the borough’s share of council tax to £183.44 in 2009/10.

The total budget for borough council services for 2009/10 will be £16.5 million. A Government grant of £1.646 million and redistributed business rates of £7.1 million make up just over half that figure, leaving £7.6 million to be raised from council tax payers.

The budget proposes £708,800 of efficiency savings, including staff restructuring in several departments. £327,300 will be raised through a review of fees and charges for services, and a further £85,000 through better management of the council’s assets. The council’s fees and charges will generally rise by about 3.5%. Council tenants will face an increase of 5.47 per cent in rents.

Other features of the budget include a new part-time post of Homelessness Prevention Officer to help people in housing need, as more people are expected to be at risk of homelessness during the economic downturn. The council will continue to invest in reducing flood risk. This includes constructing a protective band around Cheltenham Leisure Centre which was devastated in the July 2007 floods, contributing £100,000 to the Prestbury Flood Prevention Scheme, and spending £90,000 over three years on maintenance of our watercourses, streams and ditches.

The budget will be presented to the council's cabinet at its meeting on Tuesday and then go for public consultation until January.