Authority bid to raise council tax by maximum amount

A council is proposing to raise its share of council tax by the maximum amount of 4.99%, which would equate to £84 more per year for Band D households.

Cambridgeshire County Council said it would only qualify for fuller government funding if it raised council tax to the maximum level.

The total council tax bill includes contributions to several other authorities, such as the police and fire services and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

Those bodies have yet to decide whether or not to increase their own shares of the bill, while the council will vote on its proposal next month.

The county council is responsible for providing a number of services, including highways maintenance and children and adult social care.

The 4.99% figure includes a 2.99% increase in the basic council tax precept and a 2% increase for the adult social care precept.

If approved, this increase will see a Band D household pay £1,785.42 towards the county council in 2026/27, an increase of £84.78.

At a meeting on Thursday, the council's chief executive Stephen Moir said Cambridgeshire had been "an underfunded council in terms of national government grant funding for a considerable period of time".

"Government quite rightly has tucked away a statement that core spending power of local authorities only will rise over the next three years if local authorities use the maximum flexibility granted to them to increase council tax.

"As an upper tier authority this would be 4.99%," he added.

The meeting heard a report that central government's provisional settlement could be higher than previously expected.

However, it was stressed this was only provisional and the final settlement would be announced on 9 February.

The report said the authority was estimated to receive about £10.9m in funding in 2026/27, which would close the remaining budget gap.

Last year, the county council said it was still facing an estimated budget gap of £6.4m.

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