Proposed 4.9% increase in Swindon council tax
BBCSwindon residents could see their council tax rise by 4.9% this year.
The town's borough council is proposing to increase tax for 2025-2026 by the maximum amount, meaning the average resident could be billed £1,777 from 1 April.
Some local authorities, including Somerset Council, have been allowed to increase their precepts by more than 5% by the government.
Swindon borough councillor Kevin Small said the authority had decided against pursuing a higher rise due to "many people" experiencing financial difficulties.
"We didn't think it was the right thing to do, to add more of a burden on them," he said.
Local authorities are able to increase council tax by 5% without a referendum but can get special permission from the government to increase it any further.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, adding the likely precepts for the police and fire services, a Band D taxpayer in the borough is likely to pay about £2,152, with more to be added by individual parish councils.
The lowest precept levied by Swindon Borough Council will be £1,128 for Band A and the highest will be £3,386 for those in Band H properties.
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Philip Wilkinson is proposing an increase from £269.37 to £283.27 for Band D payers, just above a five per cent increase to help fund a £11m funding gap in Wiltshire Police's budget.
Meanwhile, the increase proposed by the Wiltshire and Dorset Fire Authority is 5.75%, rising to £91.95 for Band D payers.
There are 20 parish councils in Swindon who can also add their own precept to the bill - with no actual legal limit to the level of increase they can make.
The highest Band D precept last year was levied by Highworth Town Council at £216.
Next year's borough council draft budget will be discussed by cabinet councillors before going to a full council meeting on 26 February.
If approved, the new amount will be in bills sent out in March for payments starting in April.
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