In the second of her blogs, the Leader of Worthing Borough Council, Councillor Beccy Cooper, discusses Council Tax.

Money, money, money…

For my second blog entry, I am diving straight into everyone’s favourite subject – Council Tax. But please bear with me, it’ll be worth it!

Since taking over the council, we have worked hard with our officers to deliver our services as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible in the face of severely constrained budgets, soaring inflation and energy costs. Unlike almost every other household bill this year, Council Tax will rise at a rate well below inflation. However, when talking to residents we find that there are quite a few myths and misunderstandings as to where the money actually goes, so let me clear those up.

The amount you pay in Council Tax is divided between three different organisations Worthing Borough Council, The Police & Crime Commissioner and West Sussex County Council.

The percentage each organisation currently receives is:

Police & Crime Commissioner: 11%
Worthing Borough Council: 12%
West Sussex County Council: 77%

The government has decided that in the next financial year we (the Borough) can increase our part of the Council Tax Bill by 2.99%.  This means for that for a Band D household you will pay an extra 15p per week (approximately £7 per year) on what you have paid this year. (And worth noting that even with this increase, our Band D Council Tax remains £65 cheaper than our neighbours in Adur.)

This 2.99% increase will raise £235,000 for Borough Council services. This year, our budget will be tighter than ever so this extra funding will allow us to keep our core services going – such as emptying your bins, providing emergency housing, looking after our precious green spaces and coastline.

I know that times are tough for many of us at the moment. All too often, we meet people who are working full time and still cannot make enough to cover their bills and feed their families. With this in mind, we have cancelled the £5 minimum weekly Council Tax charge that all working age residents had to pay under the previous administration. And our Benefits team will continue to work hard to make sure that people access all the support that they are entitled to.

We are doing everything we can to make Worthing a fair town that allows us all to live well. And so despite the enormous pressures we currently face, we will make sure that every penny of your public money works hard to support you, your families and your Communities.