This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Council tax facts


Maidstone Borough Council 3 Council tax bands


Maidstone Borough Council is asking residents to pay about an extra 2% - about 9p a week - for its services, such as planning, waste and recycling collections, and street cleaning, for the year April 2014 to March 2015.


The cost of the borough council’s services will rise by £4.50 a year for a Band D taxpayer to £231.12.


Kent County Council has also increased its council tax by 2% and the cost of its services will rise from £1,047.78 to £1,068.66


The Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority has increased its council tax by 2% and the cost of its services will rise from £67.95 to £69.30.


The bill for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent will rise by 2% from £141.47 to £144.28 for Band D taxpayers.


That means that the total bill for a band D taxpayer, excluding parish council precepts, will rise by 2% from £1,483.82 to £1,513.36.


The total charge for Kent County Council, Maidstone Borough Council, Police and Crime Commissioner, and Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Services for each band is:


A £1,008.91 B £1,177.06 C £1,345.21 D £1,513.36


E £1,849.66 F £2,185.96 G £2,522.27 H £3,026.72


All figures exclude parish council precepts.


Out of every council tax pound - 71p goes to Kent County Council, 15p goes to Maidstone Borough Council, 9p to Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, and 5p to Kent Fire and Rescue (excluding parish council precepts).


Parish precepts Council Tax bills for most rural areas include an additional parish council precept. These range from £23.56 for Boughton Malherbe to £84.09 for Leeds.


Maidstone council’s budget includes support for parishes of £96,802 in 2014-15 to compensate them for the loss of income due to local council tax support for residents within each parish.


Budget consultation We carried out two separate


consultations on our 2014-15 budget proposals.


In the first we asked for comments about the Local Council Tax Support scheme and were told that the proposals were still acceptable after the first year of operation.


We also consulted about proposals to raise additional income or reduce expenditure to balance our budget in 2014-15. The plans included raising £104,000 from new income sources such as planning application fees, sales of green garden refuse bins and


Can you save money on your heating oil?


As heating oil becomes more expensive we started looking at ways to help people find a good price. Shopping around by calling a few local suppliers can save a few pounds and is definitely worth doing each time you buy oil. You can also compare prices by looking at an online comparison website.


Oil clubs are popular in many rural communities. Oil delivery companies will often drop their price by 3 to 5p per litre for oil clubs so a saving of £30 to £50 on a 1,000 litre delivery. They can do this as their delivery costs are reduced when they deliver to many people living close to each other. Oil Clubs vary in size from 10 households that can be filled from one delivery vehicle to clubs with hundreds of members. To find out whether there is an oil club near you ask your neighbours or parish council. You can also join online oil clubs.


People who struggle to find the money for an oil delivery may need a loan. The council would recommend that you get a loan from a safe provider, avoid loan sharks and be sure to understand the interest you will need to pay on any loan. Kent Savers is a credit union that can supply low interest short term loans to help you put fuel in your tank.


Affordable lending and safe saving


Kent Savers is a community owned, local financial organisation offering savings accounts and affordable loans. If you have a Kent, Medway or Bexley postcode and a valid debit or credit card, you can join online at www.kentsavers.co.uk


commercial rents.


Savings plans included £800,000 in the cost of contracts for services and £259,000 in further reductions to staffing costs.


We asked about increasing our council tax by an average 36p per month and increasing charges for services where there is a direct charge to users.


There was general support for our proposals and 52% of people who took part in our consultation agreed to an increase of 36p per month in Council tax.


Royal visit for Heather House Community Garden


His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester visited Heather House on 2 April to meet local volunteers who have been working together to improve Park Wood. Jade Webster, Chairman of community group ‘Parents is the Word’, showed the Duke around the Heather House Community Garden, which was designed by local residents and built by volunteers last June with the support of Maidstone council, VINCI Construction UK and garden design company Fleurs de Filles. The garden is a valuable community space that holds events for residents and community groups. The Duke also met Emma Tanner of the Princess Project, which supports new mums in the area.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56