Council Tax

Your Council Tax

Your Council Tax contributes to the budget requirements of Herefordshire Council, your Town or Parish Council and the Police and Fire Authority all of whom provide services to the people of Herefordshire.

As the billing authority, Herefordshire Council collects the Council Tax on behalf of these bodies. For further information regarding the Police or Fire Authority, or for contact information for them, please refer to the leaflets enclosed with your bill.

The Council's Budget

The Council's Budget has been set at £131,778,400 for 2008/09 and this represents an increase in Council Tax of 4.4%. In 2008/09 a Dedicated Schools Grant of £84,484,000 is paid directly from Central Government to fund individual schools.

The Council's budget is only partly funded by Central Government with the largest part of 60% or £78,471,000 having to be raised locally through Council Tax. Any changes to the levels of Government funding will have a direct impact on the need to raise the balance of funding through Council Tax.

Compared to the 46 similar authorities, Herefordshire Council receives the 38th lowest grant per head of population. The Council will continue to lobby Government to ensure the specific needs of Herefordshire are recognised and that it receives its fair share of funding.

Independent Examination

An independent examination by the Audit Commission has determined that Herefordshire Council offers good value for money and makes good use of its resources. The Council has to build in expected pay and price increases when it calculates the budget for each financial year.

However, the Council has recognised that there are additional significant financial pressures such as an increasing number of older people requiring care, in particular those over 80. There are increasing waste collection volumes and waste disposal costs and more stringent recycling targets to achieve. Increasing fuel costs impact on a large rural authority requiring significant travelling to deliver services as do increasing energy costs which impact on the many buildings managed by the Council.

The Council's strategy

The Council's strategy is to target limited resources to areas of greatest importance. A major drive is underway to achieve significant savings by restructuring services and transforming the way they are delivered by making better use of modern technology, with no reduction in service quality.