Mansfield District Council tax increase cancelled

A Nottinghamshire authority has cancelled a planned increase in council tax due to "higher-than-expected" government funding.

Mansfield District Council had planned to raise the tax by 1.99% to help fill a £1.3m hole in its finances.

Documents showed the Nottinghamshire council had budgeted for £677,000 of government support in 2022/23 but will now receive £1,078,000.

The council said it would save people in Band A properties £2.58 per year.

The Labour-run authority also says it will bring in a new trade glass collection service to generate about £5,000 per year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

It will also pay £100,000 from its reserves, which was reduced from £261,500 in light of the greater government support.

The council says it will also continue to reduce special responsibility allowances for councillors by 10%, raising £20,000 per year.

Councillor Craig Whitby, the authority's portfolio holder for corporate and finance, 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."

The council said it also planned to invest £25,000 to allow the Tour of Britain to return to the town in its Nottinghamshire leg this year.

Councillor Whitby will present the new plan to the overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday and it is then due for approval by the cabinet on 17 January before being brought to full council on 26 January.

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