How much YOUR council tax is set to go up in April and why those in Daventry and Towcester face bigger rise than Northampton

Residents could be paying nearly SEVEN PERCENT more in council tax bills and for bin collections in parts of West Northamptonshire from April.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a headline rate of 4.99 in his autumn statement but that failed to include extra charges to pay for police and fire services or optional garden waste collections. Additionally, West Northamptonshire Council is still ‘harmonising’ different council tax rates it inherited from from Northampton Borough Council, Daventry District Council and South Northamptonshire Council, meaning increases in April 2023 will be even higher for some residents who have traditionally paid less.

The council has not published breakdowns of current or proposed council tax charges for properties in eight different bands from A to H. However, using its “average figures for band D properties across the area” plus proposed increases in police and fire precepts and garden bin collections, this newspaper has calculated those in the former Daventry district face a 6.59 percent total increase, in Towcester and Brackley it could be 5.96 percent and 5.08 percent in Northampton.

Draft budget documents show the current average band D council tax of £1,624.42 a year in Northampton, £1,607.71 for South Northants and £1,596.06 in Daventry which will be brought into line at £1,693.73.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Stephen Mold, is also asking for an increase from £278.04 a year to £293.04 in the police precept for everybody — 5.49 percent — and a 7.33 percent rise in the fire precept to £73.20 a year. Final council tax bills will also include precepts from town and parish councils which are still to be decided.

In addition, those signing up for the council’s garden bin collection service could see their annual charge rise from £42 to £55 a year, taking the total annual outlay for band D properties to an average £2,114.97 — adding the equivalent of around £11 a month to monthly bills in Daventry and £8.50 in Northampton.

A council spokesman said the draft budget features a “broad range” of proposals including scrapping free town centre parking at weekends, less frequent waste collections aimed at bridging a £58 million funding gap as it battles inflation and increased demand for services.

All proposals from the council and commissioner are out for public consultation. Cllr Malcolm Longley, cabinet member for finance, said: “In common with councils up and down the country, we are experiencing financial pressures.

“The challenge of bridging the funding gap left us with some very tough decisions. These proposals address those pressures while allowing us to continue to protect the most vulnerable in our society and deliver services. Your feedback is very important, so please take the time to tell us what you think as this will help councillors make a final decision in February.”

■ People have until the end of January to have their say by completing the survey online or at libraries, or you can request a copy by emailing [email protected] or phoning 0300 126 7000.