Ross-on-Wye residents face town council tax hike

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Tuesday, 12 February 2019 21:05

By Carmelo Garcia - Local Democracy Reporter

© Copyright John Winder and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Ross-on-Wye residents will be forced to pay almost 12% extra in tax to the town council in the next financial year.

Ross town councillors agreed the increase at the full council meeting on Monday.

The hike will mean a charge of £128.67 per year to Band D property owners – up from £115.35 this year.

Several councillors argued in favour of councillor Julian Utting’s motion to cap the increase at 2.9% in line with Herefordshire Council’s proposals.

He suggested the council could avoid paying some £35,000 by postponing projects such as Homs Road car park development and refraining from spending on the amenities budget.

“We need to engage an architect and we need planning permission for Homs Road and by the time we have got to a contract it would be 10 months into the financial year,” coun Utting said.

But this motion was defeated with six votes for it and eight against.

Coun Julian Gren said that although he like the motion, it was a move he was unable to support.

“I welcome the challenge and I think it is important we challenge ourselves when we always look at our finances,” he said.
“But the council has been on a period of growth over the last four years.

“We have taken on new assets, we need to maintain them and the budget needs to grow with that.

“We have also seen the council staff numbers grow to cope with the management of the new assets in the town.

“So putting a cap on the precept, at this moment, feels to me like shutting the doors after the horse has bolted.”

Those who voted for the increase were councillors Harry Bramer, Richard Mayo, Robert Gibbs, David Ravenscroft, Valerie Coker, Daniel Lister, Nigel Gibbs and Julian Gren.

Votes against came from Julian Utting, Caroline Utting, Jane Roberts, Chris Bartrum, and Anne Taylor and Paul Symonds.

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