Christchurch residents set for cut in council tax bill
CHRISTCHURCH residents can look forward to receiving a reduction in their council tax after the BCP authority set out proposals to bring in harmonisation across its area sooner than planned.
There was uproar when the new super council was mooted because Christchurch residents were told they would have to pay more than those in Bournemouth and Poole for several years before all bills were harmonised.
But now the BCP Council has drawn up a budget which will increase Bournemouth and Poole’s tax rate while reducing Christchurch’s.
Cllr David Brown, cabinet member for finance, said: “We have committed to achieving equal council tax across the BCP area by April 2021. Alongside this, we are focusing efforts to achieve consistent service levels across our area, as much as possible.
“This budget allows us to set a council tax that makes a single charging structure possible from April 2021.
"In progressing this, we have been able to keep council tax rises within the government’s 3.99% increase threshold, something I am particularly proud of, given the unrelenting impacts of over a decade of central government austerity.”
In the proposed budget Bournemouth council tax bill’s will see an increase of 3.84% and those in Poole 3.83%, while Christchurch’s will decrease by 3.55%. This means the bill for an average Band D property in Christchurch will fall from £1,598.30 to £1,541.57.
Leader of the council, Cllr Vikki Slade, said: “Having involved stakeholders in shaping our vision and our priorities, we are now demonstrating our commitment to delivering on these priorities by setting a budget that is built on our adopted guiding principles of wellbeing, investment and sustainability.
““That’s why we are investing in the services that our most vulnerable residents need in order to have fulfilled lives, in our regeneration commitments and climate emergency actions, and on addressing inequalities in service provision legacies that were inherited from the three preceding council.
“This proposed budget is a sustainable one, with the quality of life of our residents and communities at its very heart.”
To help achieve savings of £9.4m it is proposed to have a single civic centre in Bournemouth. Although local hubs will be maintained these will be set up in venues such as libraries and sports centres.
This could result in the Christchurch civic offices, which the council said is underused, being sold off.
Among other items in the budget - which is due to be ratified at a cabinet meeting next Wednesday - is an additional £14m for adult and children’s services.
There is also £240,000 set aside for climate and ecological emergency, including a citizen’s assembly, environment and action plan development.
Another £370,000 for regeneration to bring forward major development projects to improve infrastructure, access to housing and increasing the area’s attractiveness to businesses and employers.
A sum of £150,000 has been allocated for arts and culture, £50,000 to tackle the problem of unauthorised encampments and £50,000 to improve community engagement.
