North Lincolnshire Council tax to rise by 4.99%

Council tax is North Lincolnshire will rise by 1.99%, as well as a 3% increase to fund adult social care.

This means that band A properties, making up the majority of homes in the region, will pay an extra £49.95 from April.

Councillor Rob Waltham, leader of the council, said: “Many residents accept we will all be older one day and funding older people’s care is an important priority for the council.

“Council tax in North Lincolnshire was frozen for five years and now we want to keep the council tax as low as possible and this is what we have delivered.”

Meanwhile, the council will make several investments across North Lincolnshire. These include:

• £12.5 million investment in local schools
• £7.86 million in grants for disabled facilities
• £5.5 million investment over four years in improving community accessed council buildings.
• £5.2 million for LED street-lighting improvements
• £1.3 million to create a new leisure and wellbeing centre in Barton
• £100,000 for environmental improvements in Scunthorpe
• Extra protection for open space in Scunthorpe and Bottesford
• £2.2 million over the next two years to be invested in technology to support independence for older and disabled residents
• £350,000 investment to improve the visitor facilities at the 20-21 Visual Arts Centre
• £1.8 million in disabled and older people’s home assistance and support
• A new study to create a relief road for Barton

Cllr Waltham said the measures would be funded by an additional £1 million from the government for care for older and disabled people, £11 million in business rates income and £1.5 million in four-year savings from the planned move of council employees from the Civic Centre to Scunthorpe town centre, plus the increase in council tax.

A £2.7 million four-year government grant to support the building of new affordable homes will also provide extra funding.