Council tax bills set to rise for people in West Suffolk

Council tax payers in West Suffolk are set for an increase in their bills for the coming year.

Those in the Band D bracket look likely to pay an extra 22p a week which equates to £11.25 a year in the former Forest Heath area and £1.71 in the former St Edmundsbury area.

Councillors are set to meet on Tuesday, February 8, to discuss their budget for 2022/23 and also includes investing millions of pounds into helping West Suffolk be greener, healthier and more prosperous including a £9m boost to reach carbon neutral status by 2030.

Among the proposals planned are hub and leisure projects which will link fitness, wellbeing and health services; a £1.3mi investment in parks and heritage assets such as Moyse’s Hall and West Stow; over £1mi invested over the next three years in Leisure Asset Management – including nearly £100,000 in Mildenhall for the replacement of the pump track and renewal of the St Johns Close Multi Use Games Area; helping businesses and visitors with over £1m investment on car park improvements including new EV points; £650,000 to support, Community Chest and Local Member funding to support projects put forward by West Suffolk Communities; and investment in helping the most vulnerable off the streets or saving people from becoming homeless including helping people stay independent.

The £9m fund is to be utilised across the following proposed projects:

• Council Buildings: improve the energy efficiency and incorporate renewable energy (electricity and/or heat) into buildings;
• Electric vehicle fleet (EV) investment: replace small vehicles on fleet with EVs when replacement falls due;
• Expansion of the West Suffolk Solar for Business scheme which provides carbon and financial savings for companies and an income for the council.

In addition, it includes a £100,000 per annum provision to support the proposed switch to use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) derived fuel in the larger diesel-powered fleet.

In total the projects proposed under this new investment would deliver 2,279 tCo2e savings per annum once fully implemented. This should mean that the council would meet its Carbon Budget target for 2026 putting the council on the right path to meet its net zero ambition by 2030.

Sarah Broughton, portfolio holder for Resources and Property for West Suffolk Council, said: “This is a budget that will help drive business growth and more employment opportunities, better health facilities and outcomes as well as tackling climate change. In short helping people be healthier, more prosperous and kinder to the planet.”