Council tax increase on the cards for Rother

Rother District Council’s cabinet will discuss the draft 2017/18 budget, with suggestions to increase council tax and use savings and additional income of £1.2m to balance it.

“The draft revenue budget has been balanced for 2017/18,” Rother’s executive director of resources Malcolm Johnston said in his report.

“To achieve this savings and additional income of £1.2m have been identified.

“The financial outturn from the last two financial years suggests this will be achievable but they will still need to be delivered.”

A three per cent, £5 for a band D property, increase in the local authority’s part of the council tax is recommended, which is the maximum without a referendum.

The eight-week budget consultation revealed a majority support for raising council tax by £5, with 61.9 per cent of the 354 respondents supporting the increase.

The council’s total income in 2017/18 is estimated at £11.866m, with £775,000 of reserves used to meet the £12.761m estimated net spend.

Historically most of the council’s funding came from central government grants but they are being cut, with 53 per cent less funding this year than 2016/17.

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