South Holland District Council set to put up Council Tax for 2025/26

Senior members of South Holland District Council have recommended a 2.99% rise in council tax.

The draft budget for 2025/26 was agreed by cabinet members during a meeting on Tuesday, February 18, with the final decision to be made at a full council meeting on Thursday, February 27.

The increase equates to a £7.11 rise in council tax for a Band D property, which works out to approximately 14p extra a week.

This will bring the annual bill for a Band D property to £208.53 and is expected to generate an extra £343,000 for the authority.

Deputy leader and portfolio holder for finance, Councillor Paul Redgate (Conservative), said creating the budget had been "extremely challenging" due to rising costs and reduced support from central government, including the removal of the rural services delivery grant.

He described the internal drainage boards levy as an "ever-increasing challenge," with costs now standing at £3.57 million annually for the council.

The council has been in detailed discussions with government officials about this over the past year.

Christine Marshall, joint deputy chief executive, previously described it as "one of the trickiest budgets" she had ever encountered during a joint performance monitoring and development panel meeting in January.

She noted that the provisional government settlement announced in December resulted in a £332,000 reduction in grants. While £231,000 was received as part of a recovery grant, it was not enough to cover the overall shortfall.

What do you think? Let us know your views in the comments below…