Council tax payers face a double blow

9:42am Wednesday 28th February 2007

PURSESTRINGS in households all over Pembrokeshire are set to tighten this week.

Both council tax and council house rents are expected to rise by more than the rate of inflation.

Pembrokeshire County Council meets tomorrow (Thursday), with the council tax figure set to rise by 3.95% to a Band D equivalent of £614.27 (up from the current year's £590.93).

If full council agrees the increase, council tax in Pembrokeshire (the payments to the county council and your town or community council) will range from the cheapest Band A figure of £409.51 to the most expensive (Band I) of £1,559.62.

But, painfully for council tax payers, those figures do not include the payment to Dyfed-Powys Police Authority.

This year the payment to Dyfed-Powys police will add an extra £157.68 to a Band D property in the county.

Council house rents are set to rise by 6.1%, which will mean an increase from £49.64 to £52.67 in the average council rent, to take effect over a 48 week period from April 2nd.

All the increases are expected as part of the debate on the budget for the forthcoming year.

The county council will recommend approval of a budget estimate of £181.6million for the coming year compared with the current year's revised net spending figure of £173.4million.

Recommended increases in the biggest spending departments are education from £78.2m this year to £80.2m next year, social services from £37.6m to £40.1m, culture, environment and planning from £22.8m to £24.6m and highways and transport from £9.6m to £9.78m.

The estimated balance in the earmarked revenue reserves for the current year is £17.6m with an estimate for next year of £18m rising to £19.5m and £21.1m in the following two years.