Concern at £200 Taunton council tax increase

Local people have reacted angrily to a town council's plans to nearly treble the amount of council tax it asks people to pay.

Taunton Town Council will decide on Tuesday whether to raise its share of council tax by £192 for a band D home.

But many residents in the town said "people can't afford to pay that increased amount of money".

The council's leader Tom Deakin said he was asking people to pay "a little bit more" to save services.

The Liberal Democrat run council is proposing to increase council tax from £107 to £299 a year for a band D home.

It said services such as CCTV, public toilets and parks are under threat as Somerset Council tries to avoid going effectively bankrupt.

Rowan Gordan, who has lived in Taunton her whole life, said: "I'd like to know where that money is going to.

"My mother was mugged on Wellington Road four years ago, you'd think there would be loads of CCTV round there but there wasn't and the person wasn't caught. What CCTV are we being asked to pay for?"

On the suggestion the higher council tax would pay to keep public toilets open, she said: "They're disgusting even when they are open."

Friday Ohifuemeh was shopping with his young son and said it is "not ok" to close public toilets but "that amount is too high for people to pay".

"I don't think it's good," he said.

"It's very important for the government to sit down and look into all of these issues."

Friends Ron Hayward and Andy Dray said they also want to see the government do more.

"People can't afford to pay that increased amount of money," said Mr Dray,

"Things are tight for the government, they're tight for the council - [but] they're going to be really tight for people.

"I'd like to see the public toilets open, cleaned and to see more police too."

Mr Hayward added: "I'd like to see more potholes filled in.

"Let the government sort this out and pay the local councils more to provide the services.

"We want those services but why should we have the bill?"

But resident Paul Carter said he accepts that council tax will need to go up.

"Society has got to realise these things have to be paid for," he said.

"No-one likes to pay too much but there's a balance to be struck."

Local cleaning company owner, Louise Morgan, added: "If the council was to spend it wisely to get new things for the town that's one thing.

"They've paid for some car park barriers but they only lasted a couple of months before they switched back to tickets."

Highways maintenance, such as repairing potholes, and managing car parks are set to remain the responsibility of Somerset Council.

Town council leader, Mr Deakin, said previously: "We can stand by and let services fall away and deteriorate in our town, or we can step up to the plate.

"In order to do that we are going to ask people to pay a little bit more. It's around the equivalent of £3.65 a week for an average band D property. In fact, in Taunton, 75% of properties are in bands A to C."

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