Council tax increases across Lancashire
Bills have started arriving on people's doormats
Council tax bills for the year 2023/24 have started arriving at houses across Lancashire.
For most of us, costs are going up with the county council (Lancashire County Council) putting their cost of their services up by 4% on last year, 2% on General expenditure and 2% on adult social care.
Here's a list of the increases:
- Lancashire County Council - 4%
- South Ribble - 4%
- Preston - 2%
- Chorley - 2%
- Blackpool - 3%
- West Lancashire - 4%
- Blackburn with Darwen - 5%
- Pendle - 3%
- Fylde - 0%
- Rossendale - 3%
- Wyre - 4%
- Lancaster - 3%
- Burnley Borough - 3%
- Hyndburn - 0%
- Ribble Valley - 4%
Within Lancashire, only Fylde and Hyndburn are set to keep the council tax payments the same as last year.
For those authorities perched just outside Lancashire:
- Wigan - 3%
- St Helens - 5%
- Sefton - 5%
The biggest increases you'll see on your bill though are likely to come from the Fire Service Authority and the Police and Crime Commissioner in Lancashire who are both putting their costs up by more than 6%.
We spoke to Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden, who told us why.
Mr. Snowden said:
"The Police are feeling the pinch as well with rising diesel costs, rising energy costs and inflation, and what I want to make sure and what I know people in Lancashire want to see is front line policing protected, and that is what this budget will do.
"(sic: The money will help us) protect front line policing, deliver those extra officers and give them the infrastructure they need to get out in our communities and take the fight to criminals.
"86% of the people who responded to my survey said they wanted police to receive more funding to protect the frontline, to see more PCs and PCSOs out on the beat. To protect front-line policing, take drugs of our streets, more arrests and take the fight to criminals.