Wycombe District Council to freeze council tax for 2015-16

On Thursday 26th February 2015 Councillors at Wycombe District Council (WDC) voted to freezing its share of the council tax for 2015-2016.

Next year people living in Wycombe District will pay the same as they have done for the last five years for Wycombe District Council services. Commencing from April 2015 an average property in Band D will continue to pay £2.44 a week for district council services, equivalent to £126.99 per year.

Despite cuts in Government funding of around 15% per annum Wycombe District Council has frozen its council tax for the last five years.

Cllr Richard Scott, Leader of Wycombe District Council said: ‘We know that money is tight for everyone. That’s why we have worked even harder and even smarter to make sure we don’t have to ask local people to pay more for our services. We’ve made some big and bold changes to the way we work so that we can reduce our operating costs, but still deliver the frontline services which matter to local people. We’re totally committed to keep on looking for ways to work better and save money for local people.

This Council is financially robust and is supported by a strong asset base. We continue to maintain good reserves, which means we are able to pay our way without having to borrow to spend. We always remember that we are dealing with taxpayers money and for five years now, we have been able to keep our council tax at the same level.

The budget has been achieved through a combination of compromise, reality and affordability. It is a balance between difficult and often tough choices; meeting our legal duties; protecting the most vulnerable; listening to our residents; investing in our key infrastructure and developing a sustainable financial position for future years. I think is the best budget we could have reached given the challenges we face.‘