COUNCIL tax bills for typical Band D householders in the Frome Valley area will rise by between £110 and £120 in April.
When increases in the charges from South Gloucestershire Council, parish councils, the police and fire services are added up, Band D householders living within the area covered by Frampton Cotterell Parish Council are set to pay an extra £120.44 or 5.13% this year, with their total bill now £2,469.22.
Charges vary according to property values, with this year’s overall charge in Frampton Cotterell ranging from £1,646.15 for Band A householders to £4,938.44 for people with homes in Band H.
South Gloucestershire Council approved a 4.99% increase – the maximum allowed without calling a referendum – at its meeting in February, to take the authority’s main 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 council also makes a separate ‘special expenses’ charge, which varies between parishes, for neighbourhood services, such as parks and open spaces it maintains.
The rest of the increase in overall bills comes from other public bodies.
Police and fire charge
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.
However the final amount paid by people living in different areas also varies according to the charge for services provided by their parish councils.
Town and parish councils are not subject to government restrictions on how far they can raise these precept charges without calling a referendum.
Frampton Cotterell
In the Frome Valley, Frampton Cotterell has both the highest precept and special expenses charges, with the result that the overall Band D council tax bill is higher than in the other parishes. It includes a £165.81 precept charge – up £10.21 or 6.56% on last year – and £14.87 in special expenses (up 69p or 4.87%).
The overall amount the parish council raises from its precept is up by £37,651 or 9.25%, from £407,041 to £444,692.
Winterbourne
Winterbourne residents with homes in Band D will see overall council tax bills rise by £116.06 or 5.2%.
The parish precept charge is up by £5.95 or 13.1% in Band D, to fund a £28,315 (14.5%) increase in its budget. South Gloucestershire’s special expenses charge in the parish is up by 57p (8.1%).
Despite the steeper percentage increases, Winterbourne has the lowest Band D precept charge and also has the lowest overall bill in the area at £2,347.64 – £121.58 less than in Frampton Cotterell.
Westerleigh & Coalpit Heath
Westerleigh & Coalpit Heath Parish Council has raised its Band D precept by just 68p (1.12%), from £60.74 to £61.42. Its overall precept budget is up by £3,250 (3.32%).
Special expenses are up by just 5p (1.02%) to £4.94, and the overall increase for Band D taxpayers is £110.27, up 4.91%, to £2,354.90.
Iron Acton
For residents of Iron Acton, total Band D bills are up by £117.91 or 5.14%, to £2,413.57.
Iron Acton Parish Council has raised its Band D precept by £8.32 (7.22%) to £123.54, with special expenses up by 5p (3.47%) to £1.49.
The parish council’s overall budget has risen by £9,620 or 11.7%.
Rangeworthy
Rangeworthy has the lowest increase in overall Band D bills, which are up by £110.12 or 4.92%.
Band D precept charges are up by 43p (0.76%), and special expenses up 15p (3.16%), with the parish budget up by £1,003 (5.23%) – an increase in the number of homes paying council tax means the rise is lower per household.
The highest council tax bills in South Gloucestershire are in Filton, where the parish council’s Band D precept charge is £312.33, and total bills are £2,610.75.