Council taxpayers in Teignbridge have until the end of the month to say how spending should be prioritised on essential services.
As part of the budget planning cycle, the Council provides an opportunity each year for people in Teignbridge to comment on some of the key questions facing councillors when preparing the budget.
Council taxpayers can give their views on priorities and on whether the Council should be reducing services, generating more income, making more savings or increasing council tax further.
Securing additional government funding as well as increasing efficiency remains a priority but to cope with demand, councillors are considering increasing Council Tax for an average Band D household by just £5 per year.
Teignbridge residents can let councillors know what they think by completing the ‘Budget Consultation 2020-2021’ survey on the Council’s website before 31 January.
Councillors will receive the feedback provided from the survey before they finalise the budget in late February so the more people who complete it the more representative it will be of opinion throughout our local communities.
Teignbridge currently keeps less than 10 pence from every £1 of Council Tax collected, with the rest going to Devon County Council, the Emergency Services and to town and parish councils. When added to other income, this means that £61 million is available to fund services across the District including for example recycling and waste, housing, environmental health, sports and leisure as well as vital initiatives such as tackling climate change.
Cllr Alan Connett, Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services, including Finance, said: “Councillors are wrestling with difficult decisions. We recognise that increasing council tax even by £5 per year will not be universally popular but the combination of increasing demand and reducing government funding means that we need to generate more income to help pay for the services that local people use.
“Hearing from local people as to the choices they would make is really helpful to councillors and I would urge people to take a few minutes to complete the survey.”
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