Huntingdon Town Council voted through an inflation busting 17.5 per cent rise in Council Tax for the coming year. But the council rejected a recommendation from its finance committee that the rise should be 20 per cent.
The rise comes on top of a 9.2 per cent increase agreed for 2023/24 and a 14 per cent increase the previous year.
Labour councillor David Landon Cole, who represents Huntingdon North East ward, said: “I voted against the budget and the precept.
“I appreciate that people will be disappointed or even angry with the result,” he said. “While I disagree with people who voted for the budget and the precept, I do understand the reasons why they voted for it.
“I would ask that people remain temperate in their comments.”
District councillor Nathan Hunt (Lib Dem), who is not a town councillor, addressed the budget setting meeting.
“I spoke against the town council’s proposed 20 per cent Council Tax rise and urged them to delay confirming their budget due to severe concerns around the budget documents presented,” he said.
“At this evening’s meeting a reduced rise of 17.5 per cent was approved by a majority of councillors, and as such a significant precept rise will be going ahead.
“A 17.5 per cent increase in the town council’s part of the Council Tax bill equates to about £39 per year (to a new total of around £275) for a Band D property, and slightly less for Band C, B, or A properties.”
He added that “whilst I’m a district councillor and therefore don’t have a say or a vote on the town council’s budget, I always work closely and pay attention to town council matters due to their impact on residents in my ward – hence my concern about this significant rise”.
Cllr Tom Sanderson, an independent councillor for Stukeley Meadows, said that there was an attempt “to block certain elected members from voting on the budget and precept, then we were accused of being thieves!
“The 20 per cent precept increase was not approved though; 17.5% precept increase agreed, again I voted against”.
He said it had been suggested that “those of us who also sit on the district council have a conflict. Not been a problem before in my 25 years in both councils”.
Independent district councillor Stephen Ferguson, who represents St Neots, said the precept rise was “absolutely incredible. Huntingdon already has one of the highest precepts in the country.
“This extraordinarily huge rise will put it close to the top”.
Social media reports of the meeting point to Cllr Phil Pearce, who also represents Stukeley Meadows, for arguing that district councillors who are also town councillors should not be able to vote on the budget and precept because of a conflict of interest.
Finance manager Muibat Babayemi set out the background to the town council’s budget requirements.
“The precept for 2025/26 is based on the recent tax base figure received from Huntingdonshire District Council,” she said. “The finance working team have been looking at each budget line and to have a balanced budget for the year, members suggested a 20 per cent increase on the current precept (£1,801,741) as shown in the table below.
“Therefore, the amount needed to balance the budget is £28,458 and will come from the General Reserves.”
A report to the meeting on January 16 highlighted the overall performance of the council’s activities in the third quarter of 2024/25.
“Budget holders have regular update on budget and have been prudent with spending considering how the economy has changed over the period,” said the report.
The finance working party had recommended that the precept should be set at £2,162,089, supported by £28k from General Reserves.
“This will result in a weekly increase of just £0.87p per week on Band D property,” said a report to councillors. “The majority of housing across Huntingdon falls in Band B, which would be an increase of £0.68p per week.”
Huntingdonshire District Council, as the principal authority had requested that the precept request was submitted by 17th January 2025, to enable them to sign off all precept demands in mid-February; however, the legal standing is that Huntingdon Town Council does not have to submit its demand for precept until 1st March.
While some councillors are attached to parties, most are independents.
