East Hampshire District Council has announced adjustments to fees for select services to safeguard essential operations and keep Council Tax low.
In response to the increasing financial demands faced by councils nationwide, East Hampshire District Council will make adjustments to discretionary fees for specific services, including parking and garden waste collection.
This approach allows us to continue providing high-quality services while ensuring increases only impact those who directly use these resources, rather than distributing costs across all residents through Council Tax.
Cllr Richard Millard, Leader of East Hampshire District Council, said: “When we carried out our residents’ survey last year we explained that funding our services was becoming increasingly difficult, with less support from central government.
“In total, 53 per cent of residents said that we should fund our services by increasing fees and charges and keeping council tax the same.
“By aligning fees more closely with service use, we are safeguarding the sustainability of our services without passing on that cost to every resident.
“These adjustments will help the council maintain and enhance services while responsibly managing our budget in these challenging times.”
At the Full Council Meeting on Thursday, 28 November, councillors agreed to increase fees and charges by an average of approximately 10 per cent. The increased cost of service provision, maintenance, insurance and other costs may mean that selected services rise by more.