North Somerset Council plans to raise Council Tax by 9% this year.
Normally, a rise of this size triggers a public referendum, giving you the final say. Instead, the Lib Dem led coalition has sought special permission from the Government to bypass the standard cap entirely.
Before asking people to shoulder an above referendum limit council tax increase they should give residents a say.
Our letter urges North Somerset Council to commit publicly to consulting residents before any proposal to raise council tax above the referendum limit is brought forward.
Add your name to our letter at the bottom of the page if you agree 👇🏻
Dear Leader of North Somerset Council
We are writing to call on North Somerset Council to commit to consulting residents about any proposal to increase council tax above the 4.99% referendum limit.
You have repeatedly told North Somerset residents that an 8.99% council tax increase was exceptional. Residents are now facing the prospect that council tax could rise by over £160.
When you combine the pressure, you’ve put on Town and Parish councils to take on Somerset council services, and the costs of doing so, the impact on households is clear. For example, since 2019 the average Band D council tax bill has risen by over £580.
Financial Mismanagement
Under the Liberal Democrat, Labour, Green & Independent administration residents have seen services reduced, assets sold at a loss and hundreds of staff made redundant. At the same time, you have spent tens of millions of pounds of one off reserves leaving North Somerset Council exposed in the long term.
External auditors and financial reports have flagged this approach as unsustainable, with the council’s reserves projected to fall steeply and auditors warning about serious weaknesses in the deliverability of savings plans particularly around demand pressures in adult and children’s social care and the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) budget.
Supporting North Somerset Residents
The Conservative opposition recognises the very real financial pressures North Somerset residents are under, whether they work full time or rely on a fixed pension income. We also recognise that there are choices in how councils are run. Under the previous Conservative led council, council tax rose more slowly over a much longer period.
Give the public a say
What residents are experiencing now is very different. Sharp rises year after year are being driven by current decisions, or lack of, and multiple failures.
You have now indicated that this year’s council tax increase could add more than £160 to council tax bills, and that’s before any increases by Town and Parish councils to cover the work North Somerset Council no longer do.
Before asking people to shoulder increases of that scale North Somerset Council should ask the people who will be paying the bill, do you want this and can you afford it?
We therefore urge North Somerset Council to commit to consulting residents before any proposal is brought forward to increase council tax above the referendum limit.