PLANS to put council tax bills up by 3.4 per cent cleared their first hurdle this week, paving the way for them to be confirmed later this month.
At Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, councillors discussed the local authority’s medium-term financial strategy which sets out a ‘balanced budget’ for the upcoming year.
The proposed hike - lower than last year’s 4.9 per cent rise - will now be deliberated at a full council meeting on February 26.
The rise is in line with inflation and bosses have opted to not increase council tax by the maximum of five per cent - unlike other councils across the country.
Leader of the council Sir Steve Houghton said: “It’s great to see we can balance the budget.
“We’re not like a lot of councils that require extraordinary financial support so we still remain a sound and well-managed authority.
“There’s lots of investment going in lots of ways when residents are finding it hard with the cost of living.
“We’re giving them as good a package of help as any council in the country and that’s something we should be proud of.”
