BRIGG PEOPLE WON'T HAVE TO PAY MUCH OF AN INCREASE IN COUNCIL TAX DURING 2014/15

The council tax Brigg householders will have to pay during the financial year starting in early April will show only a small increase.

Brigg Town Council and North Lincolnshire Council won't be asking  you to pay them any more than you are currently doing. However, there will be an increase in Humberside Police's share of the overall bill. Your council tax also includes a contribution to the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.

So this is what Brigg households will pay from April - depending on the property value band you are in:

BAND A - £1,062.85

BAND B - £1,239.98

BAND C - £1,417.13

BAND D - £1,594.27

BAND E - £1,948.56

BAND F - £2,302.84

BAND G - £2,657.12

BAND H - £3,188.54

The bulk of your council tax payment goes to North Lincolnshire Council to fund the services it provides, ranging from highways to street lighting, education and planning.

North Lincolnshire Council tells us:

• Council tax will be frozen for the next two years. This has been made possible through a combination of cost savings, growth in the local tax base (business and households), and the government offer of a permanent one per cent freeze grant for both years.
• Also Below inflation increases at one per cent for 2016/17 and 2017/18.

The revenue budget, for day to day running of council services, will see:

• Front-line services protected
• £1m more in 2014/15 to care for our older and disabled residents. This brings together health and social care to work with the community and prevent the need for hospital services.
• £150,000 each year for positive activities for young people
• No increase in charges for sports facilities
• Extension of the free parking initiative to two hours in Ashby, Brigg and Scunthorpe with all day free parking on Saturdays
• Funding to support veterans of the armed forces.
• A grant scheme for community defibrillators following earlier funding in a number of schools
• A commitment to provide adult community learning free to the over 65s

The council has approved an increase in local capital investment to £117m over the next four years. This includes:

• More money for schools including investment in school kitchens/dining facilities to provide free school meals for all infants from September 2014
• The Humber will have its first University Technology College based in Scunthorpe town centre from September 2015
• Increased investment in road and traffic schemes, including £30.2m to improve roads including phase one of the Brigg Relief Road scheme to relieve congestion for the Vale of Ancholme School and neighbouring primary schools, improvements to Berkeley Circle in Scunthorpe, school safety zones, Crowle and Gunness cycle scheme and new roundabouts for Humberside Airport and Barnetby Top.
• £4.9m on flood defence schemes along the Trent and Humber
• CCTV schemes for Winterton and Barton
• £3m for new sports centre for Crowle
• £1.2m for skate parks and MUGAs (all-weather games areas). 

The council says it has made savings by changing the way it does things and by being more imaginative in making the best use of the money available. This has enabled it to protect front line services and freeze council tax increases.

Coun  Liz Redfern, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: Residents told us they wanted no increase in council tax this year and next year and I am pleased to say that we have been able to deliver just that. By procuring well and sharing back office services with other local authorities we been able to save taxpayers money, whilst also setting an ambitious programme for investment across North Lincolnshire.

“A new £1million fund has been established to provide support services for elderly and disabled residents.

“Following the flooding experienced by our communities in December, we have been able to prioritise nearly £5 million of investment in works for the area. This is in addition to the money announced by the Government to assist residents to flood proof their homes.

“We have agreed a strong highway programme to invest in roads and pavements across North Lincolnshire, in total £35 million will be spent across our area, this will include a nearly £5million for flood works and some major infrastructure projects at Humberside Airport, Barnetby Top, Berkeley Circle and some significant cycle schemes locally.

“By working hard with our staff we have managed to deliver an ambitious budget that will spend on infrastructure to create construction jobs, support flooded communities and we have protected front line services like Children's centres, leisure centres and Libraries whilst freezing council tax for the next two years."

North Lincolnshire Council operates a cabinet system of government and the half-dozen top-ranking councillors within the cabinet, overseeing the major services, include the three Brigg and Wolds councillors - Nigel & Carl Sherwood and Rob Waltham. 

Carl's brief includes sport, culture and leisure; Nigel looks after highways and neighbourhoods; Rob is the cabinet member for people.

MORE ABOUT BRIGG CAN BE FOUND THROUGH THIS LINK

www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/Brigg