TORRIDGE District Council has announced that it will increase its council tax by 3.36% due to financial pressures from government.

At a full council meeting held on February 27, the council agreed to increase its council tax by 3.36% which equates to £5 per year on an average Band D property (a rise of 10p per household per week). 

Facing a government funding reduction of £500,000 in 2017/18 plus other cost pressures, Torridge District Council was left with a £1-million budget gap for 2017/18.

The council continues to reshape the way we will be working in the future, as evidenced by the current waste review recommendations, and is also drawing on reserves. But, to achieve a balanced budget and effectively manage the impact of significant reductions in grants from central government, councillors have said this small council tax rise was necessary.

Torridge only retains 9% of the council tax it collects to fund local services, with the remaining 91% collected on behalf of Devon County Council, Devon and Cornwall Police, Devon and Somerset Fire Authority, and town and parish councils.

With these other authorities also increasing their council tax the overall increase for an average Band D property in Torridge will be 4.45% (an increase of £73.84, with £60.30 of the total increase being levied by Devon County Council).

Deputy leader of Torridge District Council James Morrish said: ‘Once again Torridge have tried to limit the burden on our council tax payers by not increasing the amounts for next year beyond that which is necessary to protect and maintain effective front line services, those which we know are essential to Torridge residents.

‘The work continues on bringing even greater customer focus to what we do through our Transformation programme which will be concerned with rationalising the way in which services are delivered by introducing locality officers, reducing the number of buildings we occupy, and smarter working.’