Council tax in £56 rise

Council tax bills for average homes in the Wyre Forest district are to rise by more than £56 this year.

People living in an average three-bedroomed semi-detached home will be paying out a total of £1,406.43 this coming year, compared with the present year's bill of £1,349.98 for a property in Band D.

Added to these bills will be the parish precepts which will range from £6.02 for the year for Stone and up to £32.30 for Upper Arley.

Wyre Forest District Council last night approved an increase of 2.5 per cent which adds £4.59 to the present year's bills and raises the local precept to £188.10.

But on top of this will be Worcestershire County Council's part of the bill which will add another 80 pence a week to its annual levy of £830, taking its charge to £870.

West Mercia Police Authority is raising its precept from £157.66 a year to £165.45 and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority is seeking £68.21, a rise of £3.20 on its present precept for a Band D property.

Wyre Forest District Council leader councillor John Campion at the budget-making meeting last night blamed the other organisations for making taxpayers pay out so much extra.

He said Wyre Forest Council was determined to offer value-for-money and told members it was the Conservative minority administration's fourth budget.

Councillor Campion added: "In that time we have taken the council from 2004 when it was in a position of uncertainty to a place where it is on a sound financial footing."

He said that minority administrations could not do things by themselves and thanked opposition groups for helping achieve so much.

Members agreed to keep the precept at a low of 2.5 per cent and councillor Campion said this would still enable an extra £3 million to be spent and see savings of £2.1 million made so that this could be re-invested in council services.