Council sets budget and approves the continuation of the Council Tax Support Scheme to help residents

At a meeting of the Full Council, members approved:

• increased capital investment in Council assets to help generate new income streams, reduce running costs, and help deliver services more efficiently.
• To continue with the generation of additional efficiencies, shared services, and income from commercial activities guided by the Council's delivery plans.
• Significant grant expenditure
• a council tax increase of 3%. This means a Band D property will pay £216.09 to Boston Borough Council, an increase of £7.20 per year or 14 pence per week. For a Band A property, the increase is equal to 9 pence a week, most homes in the Borough are Band A-C. This is the Borough Council's share of the overall council tax bill. Lincolnshire County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, and parish councils also set their own council tax. 

Cllr Sandeep Ghosh, Portfolio Holder for Finance at Boston Borough, said: "The Council has set a balanced budget, despite it being one of the most challenging due to unprecedented inflationary pressures and significant changes in resident, customer, and business needs.

"The council continues to work to develop new opportunities, efficiencies, and income streams to support the council's revenue budget.

"A significant element of the council's budget that impacts the amount of money we have available for services is the Internal Drainage Board levy. The budget includes substantial increases in the levy due to the extensive use of power, fuel, and other factors to pump water away to reduce the flooding risk to us all. 

"Next year's IDB costs for the drainage boards that operate in Boston Borough are £2.8 million, an increase of £350,000 from last year. The total increase since 2021/22 from the IDB levy is £811,000—a huge 40 percent increase.

"The council is part of a Local Government Association Special Interest Group of 30 councils, actively lobbying this issue with the government. An assurance has been given that a long-term solution is to be implemented for 2025/26, and conversations with DEFRA and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities continue. Representation will continue to be made to press the urgency of this matter due to the unaffordable levies and the substantial loss of income to the council."

At the meeting, councillors also approved the continuation of the council tax support scheme for the coming year. The scheme is a way of helping people with low or no income to pay their annual council tax bill.

The maximum support available to working-age applicants is 75 percent, meaning that all working-age households have to pay at least 25 percent towards their council tax. The scheme protects war disablement pensioners, war widows, and war widowers.

The council agreed to increase the scheme in line with the allowances and premiums set by the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as increasing the age limit from 21 years to 25 years for full council tax support for those who have left care.

The Council has also committed to fully reviewing the Council Tax Support Scheme to ensure it meets the needs of vulnerable residents in future years.

Cllr Ghosh said: "To show our commitment to supporting the vulnerable, I am delighted the council agreed to extend a 100 percent reduction in council tax liability for care leavers, increasing the maximum age of eligibility to 25. 

"People who are struggling to pay their council tax are encouraged to make contact with the council so we can help. By contacting us, we can ensure households are receiving any discounts and reductions they may be eligible for. Alternative payment arrangements can also be made, for example, by helping with the frequency of payment or extending over a longer period."

You can watch the council meeting on the council's YouTube channel here and you can read the report papers here.