Council tax set to rise under new coalition

COUNCIL tax in Oxfordshire is set to rise by £78.50 a year for the average property.

Oxfordshire County Council’s 2022/23 budget proposals suggest a council rise of 4.99 per cent, three per cent of which would be ringfenced to be spent on adult social care.

This would mean the council’s share of a household’s council tax bill for a Band D property would rise from £1,573.11 to £1,651.61.

It is the first budget proposed by the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green alliance which began running the council in May.

The £4.4 million extra money for social care would help address inflationary costs which are predicted to rise across the care sector.

The council is also proposing £824,000 investment in climate action, including supporting community activity to cut emissions and retrofitting homes to improve energy efficiency.

A total of £800,000 would be used to reduce the contribution rate those who receive disability benefits pay towards their care needs and £1.2 million would be invested in special education needs and disabilities. Another £1.15 million would be used to meet rising demand for childcare places.

A total of £130,000 would be spent on traffic enforcement designed to reduce car journeys. In the spring, the council will bid to take over enforcement of moving traffic offences from the police. More cameras would be installed and income from fines spent on highway and transport-related services.