Published on Wednesday 23 February 2022
Residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will once again see no increase on the core part of their Council Tax bills, following Full Council on 22 February agreeing the budget for the financial year 2022/23.
To help improve the lives of the most vulnerable people, the council has decided to collect the four per cent Adult Social Care element of the bills, much of which was delayed from last year so as to keep more money in the pockets of Council Taxpayers. The Adult Social Care precept equates to an increase of just 17p a day for those living in a Band D property.
This means residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have experienced one of the lowest Council Tax increases anywhere in the country over the last two years with over £11 million in Council Tax savings. This now puts a band D property’s 2022/23 bill at £1,603.23 for council services.
Council Leader Cllr Drew Mellor commented, "Our 2022/23 budget achieves a core Council Tax freeze, a significant investment to protect vulnerable children and adults, and a multi-million-pound commitment towards tackling climate change."
He continued, "It is important that, as a council, we are financially resilient and sustainable into the future, as we continue to deliver on our Big Plan commitment to invest in our iconic place, build new homes and create jobs for local people, and generate wealth for our businesses and families. This budget addresses those important issues."
Collecting the Adult Social Care portion will only make a small contribution to those critical services, so an additional investment of more than £24 million has been allocated towards protecting and supporting the people who need help the most.
Other investments being made include:
£20 million towards tackling the climate agenda
£5 million towards regeneration opportunities, street cleansing, community safety initiatives, and Festival Coast Live!
£8.2 million for the Cleaner, Greener, Safer programme, essential road maintenance
£1.5 million to improve customer services.
Council Tax bills will begin arriving through residents’ letterboxes in the coming weeks. Council tax levels for 2022/23 are:
Band | ||||||||
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
£ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
Core | 939.43 | 1,096.01 | 1,252.58 | 1,409.15 | 1,722.29 | 2,035.44 | 2,348.58 | 2,818.30 |
Adult social care | 129.39 | 150.95 | 172.52 | 194.08 | 237.21 | 280.34 | 323.47 | 388.16 |
Total for BCP Council services | 1,068.82 | 1,246.96 | 1,425.09 | 1,603.23 | 1,959.50 | 2,315.78 | 2,672.05 | 3,206.46 |
The full budget report can be found on the council’s website, along with a recording of the meeting: BCP Council – Democracy