THE share of people’s council tax going to Shaftesbury Town Council is set to rise by almost 4% in April.

Shaftesbury Town Council (STC) has resolved to increase its requested precept – the money it requests from council tax payers – by 3.9%.

The increase represents a rise of 13p per week per household. The annual cost for a Band D Shaftesbury property will rise from £169.15 to £175.75, an increase of £6.60 per year.

Cllr Virginia Edwyn Jones, chair and mayor of STC, said: “While we understand that any increase in council tax bills, especially given the current economic climate, will not be welcomed, we would like to reassure residents that we have arrived at this decision after careful consideration and mindful of the need to continue providing a high level of service.

“It is important to remember that we have only increased the precept once since 2018/19, meaning that the town council has absorbed any and all price increases during those five years.

“Unfortunately, the council is not immune to the rising costs that everyone is experiencing, so it is sadly no longer sustainable for us to do this.

“The increase in precept will enable us to carry out essential maintenance to our treasured assets, such as the Lido and our parks and open spaces, and continue supporting integral health and wellbeing initiatives, such as Shaftesbury Wellness.

“Due to the growth of the town, STC will be increasing its number of councillors from 12 to 15 in 2024, so additional budget will be needed for resources and training to ensure that we are in the best place to meet the needs of our expanding community.”

The budget has been developed based on information gathered from budget workshops, the Strategic Plan and Work Programme, plus projects that have already been decided.

The precept ensures STC can continue its ‘business as usual’ functions at current levels, as well as funding service enhancements and carry out asset maintenance and improvements.

How is council tax calculated?

Council tax rates are based, initially, on the value of your home, which is placed in a ‘band’ (from A to H). (However, the bandings are still dictated by the value of properties in April 1991, so their current worth is not a guide to which council tax band a property should be in.)

The amount paid by each band is decided once the total amount a council and other services need to raise is decided.

Councils, such as Dorset Council, Wiltshire Council or Somerset Council, will set their budget – the amount they need to raise from council tax – known as a ‘precept’.

However, fire services will do the same, as will the police, and – if you have one – your local parish or town council too.

There may also be an extra amount added for adult social care – and another (in Somerset) for flooding measures.

Only when all of these ‘precepts’ have been decided can final charges be worked out – and sent to you in the form of your council tax bill.

So your council tax bill is actually the cost of; county council (or unitary council) + fire service + police service + town or parish council + any others (rivers authority or adult social care).

That means in the coming weeks and months, you can expect to hear and read a lot about different people setting their council tax levels – their precepts – before the final rates are set.