A TYPICAL council tax bill in Emersons Green will rise by almost £146 in April.
When increases in the charges from South Gloucestershire Council, parish councils, the police and fire services are added up, a Band D householder living within the area covered by Emersons Green Town Council is set to pay an extra £145.87 or 6.38% this year, with their total bill now £2,433.54.
Charges vary according to property values, with this year’s overall charge in Emersons Green ranging from £1,622.37 for Band A householders to £4,867.08 for people with homes in Band H.
South Gloucestershire Council’s ruling Liberal Democrat/Labour cabinet approved a 4.99% increase – the maximum allowed without calling a referendum – at its meeting in February, to take the authority’s charge to residents with homes in the average Band D tax bracket up by £90.54, from £1,814.37 to £1,904.91.
The increase was due to go before a meeting of the whole council after the Voice went to print.
The council also makes a separate ‘special expenses’ charge, which varies between areas, for neighbourhood services, such as local parks – although some open spaces are looked after by town and parish councils.
The rest of the increase in overall bills comes from other public bodies.
Avon & Somerset’s police and crime commissioner Clare Moody is raising charges for a Band D tax payer by £14 (5.01%) from £279.20 to £293.20.
Avon Fire Authority is raising its annual charge by £5 or 5.85%, from £85.43 to £90.43 in Band D.
The final amount paid by people in different areas varies according to the services provided by town and parish councils, which are not subject to government restrictions on how far they can raise their budget and charges – known as the precept – without calling a referendum.
The Band D precept charge levied by Emersons Green Town Council has gone up by £34.21, from £83.72 to £117.93 – a rise of 40.9%.
The town council has increased its budget by 39.6%, from £584,600 to £816,102, following on from a 91% increase last year: two years ago its budget was only £306,000.
The South Gloucestershire special expenses charge is up from £24.95 to £27.07, a rise of 8.5%.
A Band D taxpayer’s bill in Emersons Green is £64.84 higher than in neighbouring Staple Hill & Mangotsfield, where the precept charge is £37.62 and special expenses are £42.54.
Residents of Pucklechurch face the biggest council tax bills in the area.
A Band D household there will pay a total of £2,475.42 from April – £137.91 or 5.9% more than last year.
The parish charge has risen by £26.19 (20.3%) to £155.18, to fund a 20.6% increase in the overall parish precept, from £121,896 to £146,960.
Special expenses are up £2.18 (7.38%), to £31.70.
In Siston parish, which includes the Siston Hill estate, the total bill of £2,391.98 is £115.48 (5.07%) higher than last year.
The parish Band D charge is up by £6.98 (26.4%) on last year, to £33.37, as its precept rises from £45,500 to £58,000, a 27.5% increase.
Special expenses have gone down by £1.04 (1.46%), from £71.11 to £70.07.
The highest council tax bills in South Gloucestershire are in Filton, where the parish council’s Band D charge is £312.33, and total bills are £2,610.75.