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West Northamptonshire residents face maximum council tax rise

BBC A person holds up a West Northamptonshire Council Tax bill and a calculatorBBC
Band D home owners could see their council tax bills go up by an average £1.63 per week

A local authority is proposing to increase council tax bills by the maximum allowed by the Government.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) said the move was due to financial pressures, which include inflation and a rise in demand for its services.

If approved, the 4.99% hike will see an average annual Band D bill increase by £84.52 or £1.63 a week.

A final decision on the proposal and overall budget will be made at a full council meeting on 22 February.

The Government requires local authorities to hold a local referendum if they propose to increase their council tax by 5% or more.

One Angel Square, West Northamptonshire Council HQ with steel and glass façade
West Northamptonshire Council will make the final decision on its budget at the full council meeting on 22 February

In a statement, the WNC said the proposed 4.99% rise, agreed by the cabinet members on Tuesday, was needed because it faced "financial pressures due to a range of factors, including the current economic climate, inflation rates and a rise in demand for services, particularly around supporting children in care and vulnerable adults".

The budget was drafted following a six-week consultation period.

One of the responses came from Daventry Town Council, which concluded a budget rise was "unavoidable" but that a 4.99% increase would have "a significant impact on residents in the town".

The council also stated the plan to increase councillors' allowances by the rate of inflation was "unacceptable".

WNC said it had proposed £24.1m in savings, achieved by reducing operating costs and restructuring departments "without impacting on how services are delivered to residents".

Among the measures are plans to increase the costs of some services it supplies to maximise income.

A small group of people lower a coffin into a burial plot while a priest looks on
The charge for council organised funerals, also known as 'pauper's funerals', is likely to go up

The annual charge for collecting garden waste is likely to increase by £3 to £58, while the cost of a council organised funeral will rise by £36 to £660.

More income is likely be generated by significant increases in fines for fly tipping and littering.

Jonathan Nunn standing in front of Northampton's Guildhall
West Northamptonshire Council leader Jonathan Nunn said there would be no service reductions as a result of the budget

Jonathan Nunn, Conservative WNC leader, said: "In the face of severe financial pressures, we have still managed to protect services and there are no service reductions contained within these budget plans, which I believe is a great achievement.

"Every decision we've made, every penny we've allocated, has been with our residents in mind."

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