COUNCIL tax bills for the typical household in Thornbury will be a few pence short of £2,600 this year.
Band D tax payers living in the area covered by Thornbury Town Council are set to pay an extra £122.88 or 4.96% from April, when increases in charges from South Gloucestershire Council, the town council, police and fire service are added up, taking the total bill to £2,599.42.
It is the first time the bill for Thornbury households in the median tax band has passed £2,500 – a threshold also crossed this year in Almondsbury, Olveston and Tytherington, while Alveston and Oldbury parishes remain below.
Charges also vary according to property values, with this year’s overall bill in Thornbury ranging from £1,732.95 for the smallest Band A properties to £5,198.84 for people with homes in Band H.
Charges also vary according to property values, with this year’s overall bill in Thornbury ranging from £1,732.95 (two thirds of the Band D bill) for the smallest Band A properties to £5,198.84 (double the Band D bill) for people with homes in Band H.
South Gloucestershire Council approved a 4.99% increase – the maximum allowed without calling a referendum – at its annual budget meeting in February.
It takes the authority’s basic charge to residents with homes in the average Band D tax bracket up by £94.66, from £1,904.91 to £1,999.57.
The council also levies a ‘special expenses’ charge for neighbourhood facilities it provides, which can include upkeep of neighbourhood parks and open spaces where it runs them, and differs between parishes.
The rest of the overall bill is made up of charges from other public bodies.
Avon & Somerset’s police and crime commissioner Clare Moody is raising charges for a Band D tax payer by £15 (5.12%) from £293.20 to £308.20.
Avon Fire Authority is raising its annual charge by £5 or 5.53%, from £90.43 to £95.43.
Band D bills for your area
Town and parish councils are not subject to government restrictions on how much they can raise charges without calling a referendum and as a result some raise their share of bills by a higher percentage to pay for new facilities, workers or responsibilities.
Town council budget tops £1m
Thornbury has the highest charges for both precept and special expenses, with the result that the overall council tax bill in the town is higher than in surrounding parishes.
The town council’s precept budget – the amount it asks South Gloucestershire to collect on its behalf – has topped £1 million for the first time this year, rising by 5.64% from £967,612 to £1,022,140.
Its charge to Band D householders is up by £7.97 or 4.81%, from £165.69 to £173.66 while special expenses paid to South Gloucestershire are up by £25p or 1.12%, from £22.31 to £22.56.
An increase in the number of households paying council tax as new homes are built means the rise in the charge is smaller than the percentage budget increase.
In Alveston the budget is up by 9.71% from £87,500 to £96,000 and the Band D precept charge has risen by £5.70 (8.92%), from £63.87 to £69.57, with special expenses by 39p to £6.64. The overall bill for residents is up by £120.75 or 5.12%, to £2,479.41.
In Olveston the Band D charge is up by £13.36 (14.73 %) from £90.68 to £104.04, reflecting a 16% budget increase from £81,250 to £94,260. Special expenses are up 17p to £2.95. The overall Band D rise is £128.19, or 5.38%.
In Almondsbury the parish budget has risen by 4.77% to £304,485. The Band D charge is up by £1.81 or 1.78% to £103.64, and special expenses are up by 2p, to £1.71. The total bill for Band D taxpayers is up £116.49, or 4.87%.
In Tytherington the precept has risen by £2.84 (2.74%) and special expenses are up by 55p. The total Band D bill is up by £118.05 or 4.91%.
Overall bills are up by 5.12% in Falfield and 4.96% in Rockhampton, where parish council precept charges are up by £4.07 and £1.16 respectively, and by 4.95% in Aust, and 4.96% in Oldbury-on-Severn, where the precept rises are 8p and £1.94 respectively.
The lowest Band D charges in the area are for Hill, where the £2,412.46 total bill (up 4.98%) includes a precept of just £9.26, down 17p on last year, and Tortworth at £2,406.48 (up 5%), with a precept of £3.28, down 11p on last year, to fund the annual parish meeting. Residents of both parishes pay no special expenses.
The highest council tax bills in South Gloucestershire are in Filton, where the town council pays for facilities including a leisure centre. Its Band D charge is £321.68, and total bills are £2,735.60 (up 4.78%) this year.