Buckinghamshire authority plan for maximum council tax bill hike

Buckinghamshire could hike council tax bills in order to balance its books

A council could increase council tax bills by the maximum 5% in April in a bid to balance its budgets.

Conservative-run Buckinghamshire Council says it hopes to have saved nearly £172m via efficiencies and additional income by 2027.

Among proposals due to be approved in February, are plans to raise the cost of funerals, parking and pitch hire.

The council, which became unitary in 2020, has a yearly budget of more than £500m.

The savings would see the cost of cremations rise by £100 to £890 and burials rise to more than £1,000.

Motorists in the county will also have to spend more money on parking.

The proposed cost of street parking would rise by 20p an hour with hikes expected for multi-storey parking too.

Sports teams hiring the Meadowcroft Open Space Park in Aylesbury would see an hourly rise in pitch booking fees.

Council leader Martin Tett revealed plans to dispose of assets such as County Hall in Aylesbury

But the authority also hopes to cut its own cloth to help ease the burden on taxpayers.

Among its plans are investment in additional children's homes to reduce the cost of external placements, with savings from its social care budget to help more residents live independently.

The authority also plans to close office space in Amersham with Conservative group leader Martin Tett also revealing plans to dispose of major assets like the famous 'Pooleys Folly' County Hall building in Aylesbury.

More than £100m will be spent over the next four years on the highways network and repairs.

Budget proposals put forward include a 2.99% rise in the base rate, with a further 2% rise to be spent on adult social care, meaning a total rise of 4.99% - or an extra £1.69 per week for an average Band D property.