Will Chesterfield council increase tax for residents this year?

Local authorities across the UK are currently making decisions about council tax – at a time when many people face a cost-of-living crisis because of rising prices.

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A spokesperson for Chesterfield Borough Council told the Derbyshire Times: “No decision has yet been taken on setting the council’s share of the council tax bills that Chesterfield households will receive for 2022-23.

“It continues to be a challenging time to balance the council’s budgets, which is a legal requirement, especially given the ongoing pressures created by the pandemic.

“As always, our priority is to protect the essential facilities and services that local people rely on, whilst also retaining the ability to invest in Chesterfield’s economy and communities.

“We are currently considering our options and a final decision on the matter will be taken at a meeting of the full council on February 23, 2022.”

Last February, the Labour-led authority approved what it called a ‘small’ increase in council tax – this was an extra 6.4 pence a week for the majority of properties in the borough, or a total rise of £3.33 on the previous year’s bill.

At the time, figures showed the coronavirus crisis had led to more than £7.6million in lost revenue for the borough council.

As reported by the Derbyshire Times last week, Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Holmes said the authority had received a ‘generous’ amount of money from the Government for the coming year.

He said: “On December 16, the Government announced the 2022-23 financial settlement for councils.

“It was more generous than had been expected and Chesterfield Borough Council is receiving almost £1.4million more than they had expected or planned for.

“It’s time to lead by example instead of just blaming everything on someone else and demanding that someone else take action.”

On Monday, Tory-led Derbyshire County Council approved a three per cent council tax increase.

Council tax helps authorities to pay for many different services, including emptying bins, providing parks and open spaces, operating sports and cultural venues, and making sure people’s health and well-being are protected through food safety and licensing activities.

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