TAXPAYERS in Camborne will have to dig a little deeper to pay for a council tax increase agreed this week.
Band D taxpayers will see a 17 per cent rise in the Camborne Town Council part of their bill in the next financial year. This equals to about a £10 rise over a year.
Following the abolishment of the council tax benefit scheme last year, the town council has been given a £72,000 grant from central government to compensate for the reduction in the tax base.
This grant, however is a voluntary arrangement and is not guaranteed to be available in the future.
Therefore, when setting its precept, Camborne Town Council on Tuesday night decided to split the grant over three years to lessen the possible impact on taxpayers in the future.
Town clerk Amanda Mugford said: "We would have applied it all this year but the risk is that if we do not get the funding next year we would have to look at a much higher council tax increase."
Chairman of the council's budget and development committee, Councillor Anna Pascoe, added that splitting the grant over three years would soften the blow to council taxpayers in Camborne. She added: "To spend all the reserves in the first year would not help the council taxpayer ultimately if we were to provide a quality service."
Robert Webber, vice-chairman of the committee, added: "It is with great reluctance that I supported a further increase. With a potential £72,000 shortfall next year if no further monies to finance the new local council tax relief scheme were forthcoming, the town council had to take action now to ensure it can continue in future years to provide community grants, flower beds, footpath works and the scope to take on services such as toilets from Cornwall Council which are otherwise at risk of closure."
The authority's total budget for the 2013-14 financial year is £343,779 while its precept was set at £316,104.
Band D taxpayers will see a 17 per cent rise in the Camborne Town Council part of their bill in the next financial year. This equals to about a £10 rise over a year.
Following the abolishment of the council tax benefit scheme last year, the town council has been given a £72,000 grant from central government to compensate for the reduction in the tax base.
This grant, however is a voluntary arrangement and is not guaranteed to be available in the future.
Therefore, when setting its precept, Camborne Town Council on Tuesday night decided to split the grant over three years to lessen the possible impact on taxpayers in the future.
Town clerk Amanda Mugford said: "We would have applied it all this year but the risk is that if we do not get the funding next year we would have to look at a much higher council tax increase."
Chairman of the council's budget and development committee, Councillor Anna Pascoe, added that splitting the grant over three years would soften the blow to council taxpayers in Camborne. She added: "To spend all the reserves in the first year would not help the council taxpayer ultimately if we were to provide a quality service."
Robert Webber, vice-chairman of the committee, added: "It is with great reluctance that I supported a further increase. With a potential £72,000 shortfall next year if no further monies to finance the new local council tax relief scheme were forthcoming, the town council had to take action now to ensure it can continue in future years to provide community grants, flower beds, footpath works and the scope to take on services such as toilets from Cornwall Council which are otherwise at risk of closure."
The authority's total budget for the 2013-14 financial year is £343,779 while its precept was set at £316,104.
