The average council tax on a medium value home in Wokingham is set to rise by around £105 a year, it has been revealed.
Wokingham Borough Council leaders look set to agree a maximum council tax increase of just under five per cent when they set the coming year’s budget this week. That’s on top of extra charges levied by the police, fire service, and town and parish councils.
Council budget plans say that government grants aren’t enough to cover the rising costs of providing essential services – meaning that it has to increase council tax by the maximum amount.
The exact amount of council tax a household pays depends on how highly the building is valued, and which town or parish it is in. Some households are also eligible for discounts or council tax relief.
READ MORE: Bracknell Forest Council tax rates revealed for 2024-25
But Wokingham Borough Council says the average ‘band D’ medium value home could pay £2,262.93 between April this year and April 2025. That’s a £105.58 increase on the current average 'band D' bill, £2,157.35.
Homes in the highest band – band H – will pay £4,525.86, up from £4,314.70. Homes at the lowest end of the scale, band A, will pay £1,508.62 – an increase of £70.40 from the current rate of £1438.22.
You can see the proposed average increase for each band in the table below.
The increases are part of Wokingham Borough Council’s proposed budget for the coming financial year, running from April 2024 – April 2025. They are set to be debated and voted on at a council meeting on Thursday, February 2022.
How is my council tax decided?
Most of your council tax goes to Wokingham Borough Council to pay for the day-to-day running of its services. These range from libraries and leisure centres to grass cutting and rubbish collection, and social services for people most in need.
Each financial year – starting and ending in April – the council works out how much it will need to spend. It looks at how much money it expects to get from sources such as government grants, business rates and income from its own services.
Then it decides how much it needs to increase council tax by to cover remaining costs.
On top of that the police, fire brigade and town and parish councils each add their own charges – precepts – which are collected by Wokingham Borough Council and passed on to them.
That means council tax rates vary across the borough, and the figures above represent the average.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel