Council tax bills for people with homes in Band C look set to rise to more than £2,000 a year in some parts of Cornwall.
Cornwall Council will decide whether to approve its budget next week which will see its share of council tax bills go up by the maximum 4.99 per cent.
Cornwall Council’s proportion of council tax includes a general rise of 2.99 per cent and a levy of two per cent which will be spent on providing adult social care services.
The government announced last year that it would raise the maximum level that council tax could be increased by councils without the need for a referendum and Cornwall Council’s Conservative administration has proposed the highest possible increase.
If approved next week it would mean that Cornwall Council’s share of council tax for a Band D property would increase by £85.68 from April. On average total council tax bills for Band D properties in Cornwall will go up by £112.50 a year.
Total bills will include charges for Devon and Cornwall Police and town and parish councils. Some town councils in Cornwall have agreed double digit percentage rises whilst one parish council has agreed to raise its rates by 175 per cent.
Devon and Cornwall Police will be raising its share of council tax bills by six per cent following a vote last month. It means that bills landing on doormats in Cornwall will be bigger this year despite concerns about the cost of living crisis.
Overall council tax bills in Cornwall will rise by 5.33 per cent with the average bill for a Band D property being £2,221.39 for 2023/24, that is up from last year when it was £2,108.89. This year’s bill breaks down as follows:
• Cornwall Council – £1,802.79
• Devon and Cornwall Police – £261.56
• Average town and parish council – £157.04
Last year just two areas in Cornwall – Bodmin Town Council and Falmouth Town – had Band C bills over £2,000, but this year several more have done so. The towns and parishes where Band C properties will see their council tax go above £2,000 this year are:
• Bodmin – £2,126.36
• Bude-Stratton – £2,055.67
• Callington – £2,053.38
• Camborne – £2,022.01
• Camelford – £2,090.93
• Falmouth – £2,211.04
• Hayle – £2,048.52
• Helston – £2,015.39
• Launceston – £2,078.61
• Looe – £2,019.51
• Lostwithiel – £2,027.66
• Newquay – £2,045.71
• Penzance – £2,101.52
• Redruth – £2,042.09
• Saltash – £2,045.79
• St Ives – £2,021.59
• Truro – £2,119.76
• Wadebridge – £2,058.28
Town and parish councils in Cornwall have raised their share of council tax by 8.14 per cent on average. However the rates differ between councils.
The 10 biggest rises this year were made by the following town and parish councils (percentage increase followed by Band D charge):
• Boyton Parish Council – 175.67% £28.67
• St Clement – 80.63% £53.61
• Constantine Parish Council – 65.09% £97.47
• St Goran – 38.5% £49.65
• St Tudy – 33.72% £66.03
• Michaelstow – 24.36% £70.95
• Ponsanooth – 24.06% £84.98
• St Ives – 23.68% £209.94
• Helston – 22.98% £202.96
• Penzance – 21.74% £299.86
Cornwall Council will meet next Tuesday to decide whether to approve its budget plans and to increase council tax bills by 4.99%.