COUNCIL TAX RISE ON THE WAY

A good number of Brigg Blog followers living just a few miles to the south or east of the town are going to have to pay more in council tax.
Lincolnshire County Council, which provides "top tier" services, including education, to people living in villages like North and South Kelsey, Grasby, Kettleby, Bigby, Owmby and Somerby, has agreed its budget for 2017/18
The budget includes an increase in the county council element of council tax of 1.95% with an additional 2% adult care precept.
This increase will generate additional income of around £9.8m which will contribute to the funding shortfall the council is facing from decreasing government grants and additional costs, particularly from adult care.
As well as the increase in council tax, the council will also be using almost £18m of reserves, as well as £39m of savings the council has agreed.
Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Coun Martin Hill, said: "For this next financial year, our general government grant has reduced to £48m from £70m this year. We are also facing around £26m of increased costs, including nearly £7m from the care needs of an ageing population, around £5m from the national living wage increase.
"To meet this budget shortfall, we have used some of our reserves, and balanced this with finding further savings. We have had to cut services and these are difficult decisions, but we know that we will be facing further challenges balancing our budgets in future years, and we must do the responsible thing today.
"By 2020, our government grant will have reduced by more than 90% in less than a decade, and our main source of income will be council tax. However, we will continue to lobby the government for fairer funding – especially to meet more of the costs of adult care- rather than expecting local people to foot the bill.
"Despite this harsh financial backdrop, I am proud of what we have achieved as a council recently in finding new and innovative ways to deliver and improve our services. 93% of primary school age children now attend a school judged good or outstanding; we have had national recognition for our re-commissioning of home care services; to support economic development, we’ve completed Teal Park, the Holbeach Technology Park and Sutton Bridge Marina; and we’ve also been recognised as one of the top two highways authorities in the country, attracting significant extra funding to fill potholes."
The county council's element of the council tax increase equates to £44.59 per year for a Band D property (approximately 86p per week).
NF ADDS: Head along Bigby High Road, Brigg, and you are in Lincolnshire County Council's area before you get to Brigg Garden Centre! And the same goes for the far end of Westrum Lane, which is crossed by the Lincolnshire/North Lincolnshire border.
"Old Lincolnshire" - if we can call it that - still has a three-tier system of local government, meaning there's a parish (eg Bigby), a district (West Lindsey - based in Gainsborough) and then Lincolnshire County Council.
Brigg has only two tiers - North Lincolnshire Council (formed in 1996) and Brigg Town Council (established in 1974).
PICTURED: The local government border between North Lincolnshire Council and Lincolnshire County Council on Bigby High Road, Brigg.