Council tax in the South Hams is set to increase in April next year following the decision by the Chancellor on November 17 to raise the cap on how much local authorities can charge without calling a referendum. The five per cent cap is for local authorities with social responsibilities such as Devon County Council with a three per cent cap for others issuing precepts which make up the Council Tax bill that we receive. According to new research from Ipsos, 70 per cent of people oppose raising Council Tax. If you’ve ever wondered how the Council Tax is spent, last year the lion’s share of the money, 64 per cent, went to Devon County Council with a further nine per cent also going to DCC to fund adult social care. The Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner received 11 per cent. South Hams District Council who collect all council tax got eight per cent. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority received four per cent as did  the Town and Parish Councils.

The Leader of Devon County Council, Cllr John Hart, said:

“I recognise that people across Devon are facing real issues with the cost of living and I will not want to increase their burden any more than necessary.

“But it is an option that needs to be considered in our budget preparation, when we will be faced with increasing council tax by more than we would like or potentially making deep cuts in services that are valued by people across the county. Unfortunately, we may well have to do both next year. “It will be a very difficult balancing act.”

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: “I am reviewing the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and expect more details on the 2022/23 funding settlement for Devon and Cornwall Police from the Home Office within the next few weeks.

“Once we have that detail I will be embarking on my annual exercise to seek views from our communities to help me make decisions on what the council tax precept proposal may be.”

Rosalie Fairbairn from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority says:

“We’re currently consulting our communities and businesses about whether they would be willing to pay more precept to support fire and rescue services. We carry out a precept consultation every year, and we’d encourage people to complete the survey (at https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/council-tax-precept-have-your-say) to let us know their views. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority will use the findings of the consultation to make an informed decision on the level of precept, which will be set at the Fire Authority meeting in February.”