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3.1% rise in South Cambridgeshire District Council’s portion of council tax bill agreed




The average household in South Cambridgeshire will pay £5 more to the district council this year.

It agreed to increase its share of the council tax bill by 3.1 per cent for the financial year from April, taking the Band D bill 165.31.

Cllr Bridget Smith. Picture: Keith Heppell
Cllr Bridget Smith. Picture: Keith Heppell

A report to the full council meeting last week said the authority expects the increase to raise £11.23million.

Council leader Cllr Bridget Smith (Lib Dem, Gamlingay), said the authority need to fund service that will be needed even more during the cost of living crisis.

She said: “People are going to need help at a cost greatly exceeding that £5. This is about the greater good, about benefiting those people who started off disadvantaged and their disadvantage is increasing day on day, as fuel prices accelerate, food prices go up, and salaries fail to keep pace with inflation.

“The sad fact is we constantly have to do more with less. We step in, as we stepped in during Covid, as we stepped in with our Ukrainian guests, we will step in with this crisis and do ever more for more people. This is the right decision in this case.”

Cllr John Williams (Lib Dem, Fen Ditton and Fulbourn), the lead cabinet member for resources, said it meant an extra 10p a week for a Band D property.

He said it was “important” to raise council tax to fund its essential services, adding that the proposed increase was “well below” the current rate of inflation.

However, the Conservative opposition argued the Liberal Democrat-run authority should freeze its share of council tax.

Cllr Heather Williams (Con, The Mordens), leader of the Conservative group, recalled how the authority had passed a motion last year to “be mindful” of the cost of living crisis when setting the council tax level.

She told the meeting some people were “counting every penny” and said: “To see the maximum increase proposed I do not consider that [the cost of living crisis] was taken into full consideration.”

Cllr Mark Howell (Con, Caxton and Papworth) recognised that central government “never gave local authorities enough money” but argued the council should “show example to others” by not putting prices up, which he said was leading to inflation.

Cllr Howell added that sometimes that authority would “have to take the hit”, but that it needed to show it “thinks and cares” about people and “fights for them”.

The Conservative amendment failed to get enough support but a majority backed the main budget.

The council also agreed changes to its localised council tax support scheme. A report said it was estimated that the move would mean £160,000 more awarded through the scheme annually.



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