Herts County Council proposes maximum 4.99% rise in its share of council tax bills

Households are set to pay an extra £84 a year council for an average Band D home as Herts County Council battles to balance its budget.

The £1.62 a week hike follows the same 4.99% precept rise last year. As a result, the authority’s share of the annual bill is set to jump from £1,685.75 to £1,769.75.

The county council’s demand accounts for around three-quarters of the bill due from April.

Hertfordshire’s newly published Draft Integrated Plan 2025–26 says: “The council is proposing to increase council tax by 4.99% for 2025/26. For a Band D property, this will equate to around £84 per year or £1.62 per week.

“Given the challenges that residents are facing, proposing a rise in council tax has been a very difficult decision. However, the alternative would be to make significant cuts to council services at a time when many people most need them.

“It should also be noted that some 70% of the council’s net revenue budget is funded by council tax, and as such it is extremely difficult for the council to meet pressures in the budget without considering increasing this funding.

“It is also clear that Government expects councils to increase council tax by the maximum and adjusts grant allocations to reflect this.”

The council’s draft budget outlines more than £1.1 billion in spending on public services. That includes an increased investment of £128 million compared to 2024/25 to protect, maintain and improve services.

Key spending includes:

Nearly £0.5 billion to support social care for 30,000 adults, including an additional £30 million investment to support a living wage for carers and to offset increased National Insurance costs imposed by the Government.

£26m of additional investment to ensure the council can meet the expected increase in demand from those requiring care.

Just over £0.25 billion on children’s services, including £28m of additional investment for youngsters in care and children with disabilities.

A further £2.8m of funding on top of £7m already pledged to bolster the council’s SEND (special educational needs and disability) improvement programme.

£100m on highway maintenance, an increase of £6m from the previous year.

Funding will be made available to improve flood protection and investigations.

£3.4m New Prevention and Health Inequalities Fund will address health inequalities in Hertfordshire over the next three years.

The council will continue to drive down internal costs with plans to deliver £42 million in savings by the end of the 2025/26 financial year, on top of £46 million agreed last year.

Despite this, the current proposal presents a headline budget that requires the use of £3m of reserves in addition to having to raise council tax by 4.99% (including 2% to support adult social care) in April.

Cllr Richard Roberts, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council said: “From keeping Hertfordshire moving to helping residents who need the most support, we will be spending over a billion pounds delivering services across Hertfordshire and focussing on what really matters to you.

“The current economic outlook for the country and changes recently made by the Government means that our own costs will rise in 2025, but rather than rest on our laurels, we are working hard to bring these under control so that as little of these additional costs are passed onto you.

“Years of prudent financial planning have put us in a good position, but once again we are going to have to access our reserves and make significant savings to balance the budget.”

The authority is now asking residents for their views on the proposed budget. See www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/budgetsurvey

Last year, Band D households in Bishop’s Stortford paid a total council tax bill of £2,200.66.

In addition to the £84 (4.99%) rise proposed by the county council, Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards is consulting residents about a 5.57% rise in their law and order bills from April.

Last year (2023-24) the constabulary cost an average Band D household £251. The Government has assumed that commissioners will levy a maximum £14 rise for those council taxpayers, taking the precept to £265 in 2025-26.

East Herts Council has mooted a 2.98% increase in the district’s share, taking its Band D demand to £201.04, up £5.52 from this year’s £195.52.

In 2024/25, Bishop’s Stortford Town Council claimed an average £68.69 precept and has yet to set a new figure.