How much council tax you’ll pay from April

By Local Democracy Reporter Peter Davison 

Council tax in Wiltshire will increase by nearly five percent in April, following the approval of Wiltshire Council’s budget. 

It means general council tax will go up by 2.99 percent, plus an additional two percent adult social care levy to help fund a service that absorbs 40p of every pound raised through council tax and business rates. It brings the council tax for a Band D property – deemed to be the ‘average’ – to roughly £2,571.78. 

That’s made up of £1,981.15 for Wiltshire Council, £298.27 for the police, £96.95 for the fire authority, and an average of £195.41 for the parish council precept. 

The final number will vary from parish to parish. Town councils – which might fund services like free or subsidised parking, public toilets, community buildings, play areas, and cemeteries – tend to have higher precepts. 

For instance, a Band D household will pay £324.54 in Bradford on Avon, £342.16 in Chippenham, £293.46 in Corsham, £228.64 in Devizes, £259.37 in Marlborough, £259.37 in Melksham, £305.76 in Trowbridge, and £309.78 in Westbury. 

Parishes tend to charge far less: £132.76 in the urban Chippenham Without, £101.14 in built-up Melksham Without, and £64.56 in Bishops Cannings, which includes a large urban area north of Devizes. 

Roughly how much you’ll pay: Band A £1,451.04; Band B £1,692.88; Band C £1,934.72; Band D £2,176.56; Band E £2,660.24; Band F £3,143.92; Band G £3,627.60; Band H £4,353.12.                             

Where it goes 

For every £100 raised in council tax and business rates, Wiltshire Council spends: 

• £40 on adult social care
• £22 on supporting and caring for young people
• £11 on waste management
• £8 on maintaining roads and subsidising bus services
• £6 investing in roads, schools, and housing
• £6 on running the council
• £3 on property assets
• £2 on online digital services
• £1 on leisure and libraries
• £1 on economic investment

Pictured: County Hall