Residents of Sandown are likely to face a rise in town council tax — for only the 2nd time in 4 years.
It follows a consultation with residents to see what their priorities were and how the town council could take those forward.
At a meeting on Monday, Sandown Town Council heard a number of significant issues would impact its budget next year including the ongoing damage caused by anti-social behaviour; increasing energy costs, the cost of living crisis and taking on services from the Isle of Wight Council.
Councillor Debbie Andre said the council would need to be mindful of the situation but in principle, it was not good practice to keep the precept the same. Deputy mayor, Councillor Alex Lightfoot said no increase to the precept would mean the town council would effectively have to reduce, cut and close services when it feels like they are gaining some momentum.
He felt if the council were to progress any projects next year, a budget needed to be prepared with a higher increase. The council’s clerks will now prepare two proposed budgets for next year.
Option 1 will be a precept increase in line with rising costs and impacts on services. Option 2 on the other hand, is a precept increase at a greater level to cover all cost pressures and meet residents’ priorities.
The final budget, and increase of council tax, won’t be set until its February meeting and will come into force in April. Councillors will be briefed on the budgets in January and made aware of any potential impacts the Isle of Wight Council’s decisions may have.
The town council has highlighted projects for the Yaverland toilets and Pier Street Toilets but they would need to be funded through a loan from the Public Works Loan Board.
In the last 3 years, Sandown residents have only seen their precept increase once. From April this year, it rose by 5%, which was an extra £6.80 a year — or 13p a week — for the average Band D taxpayer.
To pay for drugged drunk useless vandals and non British spongers to ruin local peoples lives.
How can the island echo forget about the huge increase around 5 years due to inept Town councillors
make cuts instead of rinsing taxpayers, then hosing the money at spongers.
In a place the size of the isle of wight why do you have so many town and parish councils, they just leech money from the hub and provide a very profitable sideline for any number of so called councillors. get rid of that lot and have one unitary authority
Why don’t you whittle down the amount of town councils and maybe not pay the extortionate salary of the new chief. Cut what local services? The roads are a mess….The walkways and pavements are death traps, the local buildings are in need of constant repair. Social services are running at skeleton….We have more fantastic volunteers in our towns doing far more than the majority of town council members. They are allowing more and more large houses over to rehab, druggies, ex prisoners now in our towns. The councils need to clamp down hard and listen to their residents. .. We are a small Island get one good Council with strong members. Why should we pay more every year when we see very little for it and non of the old problems remedied.
What ‘local’ services do Sandown have that the rest of the island doesn’t?
If these services are to support drug takers and alcoholics……….I’ll keep my hard earned wages thanks. Cut the services.
Wow, they want more money from us taxpayers when people own these eyesore buildings,and get away with letting sandown go to the dogs, sandown is a complete dump at the moment.council do nothing about it but go the way route and simply put our rates up
Time to Abolish council tax, bring back the old rates system.
Much fairer for all.
I am fed up paying £2,000 a year to have my rubbish taken away once a week.
What with income tax etc.
The Tories are bleeding us dry!
Bring back the poll tax.A lot fairer when all adults contribute.
So true, many large families generate much more rubbish, take up more parking spaces and pay the same council tax
SO UNFAIR
pay rise for high over paid councillors then