COUNCIL tax in South Cambridgeshire is set to go up for the first time in three years.

South Cambs District Council’s proposed budget was released this week. If approved, an average Band D property will see their bill increase by £5 per year, or 9.6 pence per week. Bills in the district have been frozen since 2010.

The council says the 4.3 per cent increase is needed after a cut of 24 per cent in central government funding, and that they have made significant efficiency savings to keep the increase as low as possible.

Cllr Simon Edwards, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: “We are immensely proud that our council tax is one of the lowest in the country and the value for money it represents for residents.

“The budget we have put forward will see us absorbing 70 per cent of the cuts through efficiencies but we are also asking residents to pay a little more to make sure the frontline services they rely on are protected.

“Without a rise in council tax now we would also be storing up a problem in our budget for future years which could lead to sharper rises and this is something we want to avoid.”

The draft budget will be presented to the full council at its meeting on February 28.

As previously reported in the Crow, North Herts District Council is putting its council tax up by £3.74 a year for an average Band D property.