MDC Cabinet proposes Council Tax Freeze for 2022/23

Mansfield District Council’s Cabinet is proposing to freeze Council Tax for 2022/23 following confirmation that the council will receive a larger than expected grant from the Government.

The Cabinet announced in October that it was proposing to increase the district’s portion of council tax by 1.99% to help plug a £1.3m gap in its finances. The increase would provide an additional £115,000 of income to the council.

Cllr Craig Whitby, Portfolio Holder for Corporate and Finance, said his original proposals had changed after the Chancellor’s Spending Review on 16 December confirmed additional grants of £401,000. An increase in Council Tax base and interest received means the council now has a revised savings target of £1.08m.

Cllr Whitby will present the new proposal to freeze Council Tax to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Corporate) on 6 January as part of Cabinet’s feedback on the committee’s recommendations.

The latest savings proposals include:

  • No increase in Council Tax in 2022/23
  • Introduction of a trade glass collection service, which will deliver an additional £5,000 in income in 2022/23
  • Special Responsibility Allowances be reduced by 10% for a further year. This is a payment made for specific roles such as Cabinet members, committee chairs and vice-chairs. No reduction in the level of the Ward Allowance.
  • One-off use of £100,000 in earmarked reserves.

The Council Tax freeze means those living in Band A properties would continue to pay a total of £129.81 for the year in 2022/23 for all the services provided by Mansfield District Council. 

Proposed service developments include:

  • £25,000 enhanced event support budget (Tour of Britain)
  • A reduction in garden waste charges (£26 per year rather than the proposed £31) resulting in reduced income of £32k in 2022/23
  • £26,000 to be invested in parks
  • £30,000 to be added to the Economic Stimulus Fund
  • £10,000 to be added to the Council Tax Hardship Fund

Cllr Whitby said: “The recent confirmation of a higher than expected Government grant means we are in a position where we no longer need to increase our portion of Council Tax.

“This would be good news for Mansfield residents, many of whom continue to be affected by the pandemic. Our original decision to propose an increase was not an easy one to make for this reason but was necessary based on the information we had at the time. I’m pleased to put forward these new proposals that won’t negatively impact residents but will still support the council’s commitment to deliver high quality services and to make the district a place where people want to live, work and visit.”

The district council's share of the Council Tax bill is about 10% with the remaining 90% that residents pay going to Nottinghamshire County Council and other county services, such as the police and fire service.

Cabinet is due to agree its final proposals on 17 January ahead of Full Council considering the budgets and level of Council Tax to be set for 2022/23 on 26 January 2022. All final decisions will be made in line with Mansfield District Council’s corporate priorities of Growth, Aspiration, Wellbeing and Place and will form a key part of the Making Mansfield Towards 2030 strategy.

Published: December 23rd 2021