COUNCILLORS have taken the first step towards setting the county's lowest ever tax rise.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Rutland County Council's cabinet members voted to increase its share of council tax by just 1.9 per cent from £1,403.84 a year for a Band D property to £1,430.50.
That would be the smallest increase since the county counc
il came into existence in April 1997.
Council leader Roger Begy said an in-depth review of departmental budgets had identified cost savings of £1.1 million for the 2010/11 financial year compared the previous 12 months. These savings represent 4.1 per cent of the overall budget.
He said: "We have done everything possible to get any increase of council tax to the lowest possible level whilst still providing high quality services to the local community.
"Councillors are very much aware of the importance of keeping council tax as low as possible and know this is a very important issue for our local community.
"The next few years are going to be tough for all public services and it is no different for Rutland County Council. We will continue to focus on saving money wherever possible but at the same time maintaining high quality services for the local community."
It is not yet possible to say what the total council tax bills faced by Rutland residents will be because Leicestershire Police Authority and the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority, which add their own charges to bills, have not yet published their budgets.
A final decision on the exact level of Rutland's council tax will be taken by full council at 7pm on Monday 22 February.
