With households across South East Cornwall feeling the pinch amid the cost of living crisis, its safe to say that for many, the announcement that Council Tax has gone up by 5% is probably the last thing many of us need.
The Conservative administration at Cornwall Council said when announcing the budget, which will see tax rates increase by 4.99%, the maximum permitted without a referendum, that it was required to maintain a balanced budget and fund services – which includes £26 million for adult and children care services, sufficient funding to invest in new technology to improve customer services and £98 million to invest in the future on new school places and school repairs.
Excluding parish precepts and the levy to fund the Devon and Cornwall Police Commissioner, a Band D property is set to see an increase of £85.80 per year; £1.65 a week, according to figures published by Cornwall Council.
Prior to the meeting Cllr David Harris, deputy leader of Cornwall Council and portfolio holder for resources, said: “I am delighted to be putting a balanced budget before the council, especially considering how challenging the process of getting to this point has been.
“As an authority, we are in a much healthier place than many of our counterparts and have not been forced to dip into our reserves to reach this point, which is thanks to the hard work of everyone involved in this process.
“We are protecting services while keeping our Council Tax rates below average for the South West, which is an achievement we can be proud of, especially in the current economic climate.”
However, the budget has been criticised by opposition councillors. Acting Lib Dem group leader, Cllr Colin Martin, the Cornwall Councillor for Lostwithiel and Lanreath, was one critic. He said: “The Conservative Government has left Cornwall Council without the money it needs. The Conservative Cabinet has left Cornwall’s residents without the services upon which they depend. And as long as you continue to wear the Conservative label, you have to take personal responsibility for the actions of your political leaders.
“It’s time for the Council to be led by someone who will be Cornwall’s voice in Whitehall, not Whitehall’s voice in Cornwall.”
But, in a time where it feels like Council Tax increases a lot each year, how much has Council Tax gone up by?
Here at the Cornish and Devon Post, we’ve undertaken a study of years gone past to track how much Cornwall Council tax has gone up over the years – with data available for every year since 1994.
Prior to 2009, Cornwall Council was split into six district councils, with Caradon District Council serving as a district council and Cornwall County Council being the overall authority. In 2009, all district councils were merged with the now-former county council to form the Cornwall Council unitary authority.
All figures included in this study include the full amount charged prior to 2009 by Cornwall County Council and Caradon District Council as well as an average parish council precept – some areas may be slightly higher or lower than this figure.
Since 2016-17, the maximum a local authority can charge in council tax has been restricted to 2.99% without a referendum, with an additional 2% levied to be ringfenced for health and social care.
Band D figures, which are often used to compare council tax rates, is the rate used in our comparison.
Here is how much your council tax cost in previous years in South East Cornwall.
Caradon District Council/Cornwall County Council combined council tax (including parish precept)
1993 to 1994: £557 per year
1994 to 1995: £577 per year (3.6% increase)
1995 to 1996: £581 per year (0.6 % increase)
1996 to 1997: £608 per year (4.8% increase)
1997 to 1998: £644 per year (5.9% increase)
1998 to 1999: £703 per year (9.2% increase)
1999 to 2000: £745 per year (6.0% increase)
2000 to 2001: £817 per year (9.7% increase)
2001 to 2002: £861 per year (5.4% increase)
2002 to 2003: £941 per year (9.3% increase)
2003 to 2004: £1,058 per year (12.4% increase)
2004 to 2005: £1,135 per year (7.2% increase)
2005 to 2006: £1,192 per year (5.0% increase)
2006 to 2007: £1,252 per year (5.0% increase)
2007 to 2008: £1,315 per year (5.0% increase)
2008 to 2009: £1,381 per year (5.0% increase)
Cornwall Council tax – includes parish precept and other levies.
2009 to 2010: £1,411 per year
2010 to 2011: £1,458 per year (3.3% increase)
2011 to 2012: £1,460 per year (0.1% increase)
2012 to 2013: £1,468 per year (0.6% increase)
2013 to 2014: £1,477 per year (0.6% increase)
2014 to 2015: £1,512 per year (2.4% increase)
2015 to 2016: £1,550 a year (2.5% increase)
2016 to 2017: £1,620 per year (4.5% increase)
2017 to 2018: £1,686 per year (4.1% increase)
2018 to 2019: £1,772 per year (5.1% increase)
2019 to 2020: £1,864 per year (5.2% increase)
2020 to 2021: £1,943 per year (4.3% increase)
2021 to 2022: £2,042 per year (5.1% increase)
2022 to 2023: £2,109 per year (3.3% increase)
2023 to 2024: £2,221 per year (average)