COUNCIL tax bills for typical Band D householders in the Yate and Sodbury area will rise by between £98 and £130 in April.
South Gloucestershire Council agreed a 4.99% increase – the maximum allowed without calling a referendum – at its meeting in February, to take its charge to residents with homes in the average Band D tax bracket up by £86.39, from £1,727.98 to £1,814.37.
The rest of the increase in council tax bills comes from other public bodies.
£279 bill for police – £85 for fire service
Avon & Somerset’s police and crime commissioner Mark Shelford is raising charges for a Band D taxpayer by £13 (4.88%), from £266.20 to £279.20.
Avon Fire Authority will raise its annual charge by £2.48 or 2.99%, to £85.43 in Band D.
The final amount paid by each household varies according to the services provided by town and parish councils, reflected in the parish precept charge, and the ‘special expenses’ levied by South Gloucestershire Council for any facilities it maintains in each neighbourhood.
Town and parish councils are not subject to government restrictions on how far they can raise charges without calling a referendum.
Yate residents pay most in Yate & Sodbury area
Yate Parish Council charges taxpayers the most in the area. The overall amount it raises has risen by 9.29% this year, from £1,668,251 to £1,823,268, and its charge to Band D taxpayers is up by £12.05 or 6%, to £212.87.
The rise in individual charges is less than the overall total because there are more households than last year paying council tax.
The special expenses charge for Yate residents is 2p less than last year but, when all of the increases are added up, a Yate householder in Band D will pay £113.72 (4.92%) more than last year, with a total bill of £2,423.84.
Dodington Parish Council, which covers southern parts of Yate and Sodbury, is raising its precept charge by £7.52 to £137.50, a rise of 5.79%. Its overall precept is up by 6.14% to £328,905.
With special expenses charges up by £5.82, the total bill for Band D taxpayers is up by £115.21 (5.09%), to £2,377.43.
Sodbury Town Council has raised its total precept by 6.31%, to £309,796. Band D taxpayers will pay an extra £7.52 in precept charges, £5.82 in special expenses and £115.21 (5.09%) overall, with the total bill standing at £2,346.55.
The biggest increase in the area is for residents of the area covered by Iron Acton Parish Council, where total Band D bills are up by £129.56 or 5.98%.
The parish has raised its overall budget precept by 33.8%, from £61,206 to £81,920. The Band D charge is up by £27.66 (31.6%) to £115.22, with special expenses up by just 3p.
In Rangeworthy, overall Band D bills are up by £119.77 or 5.65%, with £17.77 of the increase coming from the precept charge, which rises by 45.6%, and 13p from special expenses.
Westerleigh & Coalpit Heath Parish Council has raised its Band D precept by £2.29, from £58.45 to £60.74, a 3.92% increase. The overall increase for Band D taxpayers is £104.92 or 4.9%.
Horton is cheapeast in Yate & Sodbury area
The lowest tax increase is for residents in the area covered by Horton Parish Council, which has cut its overall precept by 19.4%, from £8,375 to £6,750. The Band D charge is down by £6.92 and the total council tax bill in the area, at £2,222.39, is £98.09 or 4.62% higher than last year.
In Wickwar the overall rise of £108.14 (5.02%) in Band D includes a £5.36 precept and 91p special expenses increase.
In Cromhall the Band D precept is down by 22p, special expenses are up by 9p and the overall bill is up by £101.74 (4.72%).
Charges vary by council tax band, linked to the size of a home. The lowest overall bill in the area is £1,481.59 for a Band A taxpayer in Horton. The Band H bill in Yate is £4,847.68
The Band D charge is used for comparison between areas because councils see it as the average charge paid by a taxpayer.