Town council leader defends 26% tax hike

A council tax hike of 26% "is a bitter pill for everyone to swallow", the leader of Yeovil Town Council has said, but warned without it community assets would have to be sold.

It means anyone living in a Band D property will pay an extra £72 a year, and comes on top of an increase of £130 last year.

Liberal Democrat council leader Andy Soughton said the rapid devolution of parks and other spaces to town and parish councils by Somerset Council had put a strain on finances.

"If Yeovil Town Council hadn't stepped in to save those services we wouldn't have them now," he said.

Yeovil approved its plans at a town council meeting on Tuesday evening, and is just one of a number of towns and parishes across the county preparing to raise taxes.

Speaking to BBC Somerset, Mr Soughton said previous administrations had not put up council tax "for quite a few years" prior to last year's rise, leaving a funding gap.

The increase will help meet the cost of spaces such as Yeovil Country Park and the Westlands Entertainment Venue, he said.

The money will also go towards the South Somerset Heritage Collection and funding Yeovil in Bloom.

Those struggling to meet the cost can check if they meet the criteria for the council tax reduction scheme, he said, or opt to pay their bills over 12 months rather than 10 to reduce monthly costs.

"It is a bitter pill for everyone to swallow and I do feel for anyone who is struggling with this," he said.

When asked if tax would increase again next year, he said the town council was currently relying on Somerset Council's figures to allocate its budgets for community assets.

"Until we have been running all of this for a while to see how it's going to pan out that's a very difficult question for me to answer," he said.

Mr Soughton defended spending on the the Yeovil in Bloom event, but said it would likely be "scaled back" this year to save money.

"We would have been criticised for not looking after the town and making the best of it," he added.

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