Earlier this week the House of Commons approved a £49.2 billion funding package for local councils next year (2020/21). This is an increase of £2.9 billion on 2019/20, the biggest increase in councils’ spending power for a decade.
Elmbridge Borough Council (EBC)’s share of this is £18.1 million, an increase of £0.5 million on 2019/20. This will allow EBC to properly fund local services like bin collections.
£14.8 million (81.8%) of EBC’s total share will come from council tax. To raise this amount, EBC are increasing their portion of council tax by £5 (2.26%) on a Band D property.
Of the remainder, £2.3 million (12.7% of the total) will come from the council’s business rates income, with the remaining £1 million (5.6%) coming from government grants.
The funding available to Surrey County Council (SCC) will also increase. SCC will have access to £919.3 million in 2020/21, up by £53.6 million from 2019/20. This allows the council to maintain our roads, libraries and other services across the county.
Of this £919.3 million, £765 million (83.2%) will come from council tax. SCC has voted to increase their portion of council tax by 3.99% (£58 on a Band D property) to raise this amount. Importantly, 2% of this 3.99% increase is reserved for spending on social care services.
£115.1 million of the remainder of the funding SCC will have access to (12.5% of the total) will come from business rates income. The rest (£39.1 million, or 4.3%) comes from government grants.
These funding settlements demonstrate the government’s commitment to ensuring our local services in Elmbridge are properly funded, while setting limits on council tax rises to protect residents from excessive increases.
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