Council tax rise is pegged

SANDY Town Council has pegged its tax rise to below the rate of inflation, thanks to shrewd investments.

Councillors set the rise to three per cent last week but had they not received £10,138 interest from investments the rise would have been closer to six per cent, an increase of 23p a month for every household in the town.

However the council has warned residents that they will not be so lucky next year.

The town council has taken on board facilities that were to be closed down by Mid Beds District Council (MBDC).

Sandy Town Council has had to absorb the £50,000 costs for maintaining the public conveniences in the Market Square and the Sandy Tourist Information Centre that were axed by MBDC last year.

The extra financial burden of taking on board two police community support officers sees the additional expenditure figure rise to £62,000, or the equivalent of £12.65 per household.

"If we hadn't had this extra money from investments the increase would have been nearer six per cent," said town council clerk Trevor Stewart.

"The people of Sandy wanted to keep things like the toilets and the tourist information centre and wanted PCSOs and these cost money which they will have to pay for.

"We have been saved from raising the council tax much higher by the prudent use of our investments but this can't go on for ever."

A statement from councillors said: "Almost all of the increase has been made necessary because of the demands of the Sandy electorate that the services which were to be closed down by the district council be rescued and operated by the town council.

"Having kept the proposed increase below inflation for the coming year, there remains the long term question as to how these types of additional services can be funded by the town council in the future.