TORRIDGE District Council agreed at their recent full meeting to increase council tax by £5 a year.

The full council meeting held on February 26 saw councillors vote to increase Torridge’s share of the council tax by £5 for 2018/19.

Faced with further budget reductions from central government a number of councils across the UK have also opted to increase their council tax bills.

The tax increase will be the equivalent of 10p per week but the council say ‘most’ Torridge residents will pay less than this.

Torridge’s average Band D council tax will rise from £153.66 to £158.66. It was proposed that the additional resources be directed to ‘economic regeneration’.

Torridge collect the council tax but only retain 9p from every pound collected. The bulk of the council tax receipts go to Devon County Council, which has voted to increase its share by 4.99% — with the fire and police services also increasing their share.

This means that including Torridge’s £5 increase, local communities will possibly see an increase of around £85 in their council tax this year.

Torridge District Council said it will continue to reshape the way it will work in the future and hopes to achieve a balanced budget and effectively manage the impact of any reductions in grants from central government but adds that the ‘council tax rise has been necessary’.

Deputy leader and lead member for customer services, Cllr David Hurley, said: “Torridge is a low wage economy and across the district families are struggling to keep up with the cost of living. That’s why it is so crucial that councils do as much as they can to help.

“We do operate under increasing budgetary constraints but we are determined to do all that is possible to limit the burden on our council tax payers. Financial reductions from central government and changes to the method that payment is delivered bring ever-increasing pressures to local councils to provide a balance budget.

“I believe that the relatively small increase in the council’s share of the council tax will help secure the balanced budget and financial security of this council, and thus ensure that the service provided to our Residents and visitors meets the expectations that they hold.”

Torridge will continue to provide flexible payment options for residents to help them pay their council tax on time and when it suits them.