Your council tax is going up but why?

Residents across East Devon have now all been sent their bill for 2019/20. The authorities will be tasked with collecting £112.2million for the next financial year.

You council tax will be split five ways:

? 73 per cent (approx) to Devon County Council.

? 11 per cent to Devon and Cornwall Police.

? 5 per cent goes to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue.

? 7 per cent to East Devon District Council.

? 4 per cent to town and parish councils.

The average Band D property in Sidmouth will pay £1,897.23 during the next financial year.

Sidmouth Town Council’s precept has risen by £2.82 for the year (4 per cent), just over the rate of inflation.

The total budget is up from £488,467 last year to £509,503 this year. Meaning the typical Band D property will pay £72.36 to the town council in the next financial year.

Among the projects including in its budget are a £5,000 swimming platform for swimmers in the summers, a £10,000 pot of cash for ‘Community Action, projects - suggested by the neighbourhood plan and an additional £10,000 for youth projects.

In total, £401.6million of taxpayers’ money will be given to Devon County Council to provide services for education, roads, care for the elderly and disabled, child protection, public health, libraries, recycling centres and waste disposal. The average Band D property has been asked to pay £1,384.29 next year, an extra £53.10 compared to 2018/19. This rise is down to £13.5million in Government funding cuts.

Of the four per cent rise, three per cent will pay for general expenditure, while the other one per cent is ringfenced for adult social care.

The amount of money going to the police has risen by £24 a year. The average Band D property will pay £212.28 a year, generating an additional £15.2million for the force’s overall budget. This has been set as £129.6million for the next financial year. Most of the increase will go towards funding a deficit in the police pension fund and rising operational costs. The force has also pledged that the money will be used to hire 85 new police officers by 2020.

Band D residents will pay £147.78 to East Devon District Council (EDDC) this year, £5 more than in 2018/19.

EDDC plans to spend £71.1million on providing services such as recycling and waste collections, housing, leisure, outdoor spaces and public health - £8million of this will be met through council tax.

Band D residents will also give £86.52 to fire service which plans to spend £83.1million in 2019/20, 53million of which comes from council tax, a rise of £1.3million (2.99 per cent) compared to last year.

The extra money will help meet the loss of Government funding which has been cut for 2019/20 by 25.4 per cent. The authority is expected to make savings of between £8.4million and £14.6million by 2022 and has pledged to continue raising funding issues with the Government.

There are 78 parishes across East Devon with band D properties paying council tax bills between £1,824.87 (Clyst St Lawrence) and £2,080.90 (Cranbrook).

The areas with the top most expensive council tax bills include Broadclyst (2nd), Clyst Honiton (3rd), Seaton (4th), Rockbeare (5th), Axminster (6th), Monkton (7th), Sidmouth (8th), Honiton (9th), Bishops Clyst (10th) and Exmouth (11th).

Band D properties in Cranbrook pay £154 more than the same band pays in Seaton, £167 than Axminster, £183 more than Sidmouth, £185 more than Honiton and 196 more than Exmouth.