COUNCIL tax bills for typical Emersons Green households will rise by £142 in April – almost £40 more than in neighbouring Downend.
The difference between bills in the two areas is down to a 90% increase in the charge made by Emersons Green Town Council for its services
When increases from South Gloucestershire Council, the town council, police and fire services are added up, a Band D homeowner living in the area covered by Emersons Green Town Council is set to pay an extra £142.20 or 6.63% this year, with their total bill now £2,287.67.
South Gloucestershire Council is set to agree a 4.99% increase – the maximum allowed without calling a referendum – in its share of the bill, which will rise by £86.39 in the average Band D tax bracket, from £1,727.98 to £1,814.37.
The rest of the increase in council tax bills comes from other public bodies.
Avon & Somerset’s police and crime commissioner Mark Shelford is raising charges for a Band D tax payer by £13 (4.88%) from £266.20 to £279.20.
Avon Fire Authority is raising its annual charge by £2.48 or 2.99% to £85.43 in Band D.
However the final amount paid by people living in different neighbourhoods varies according to the services provided by their parish councils, which are not subject to restrictions on how far they can raise charges.
Emersons Green Town Council has almost doubled its overall precept – the amount it raises from council tax payers – increasing it by 91% from £306,000 to £584,600.
Its charge to a Band D taxpayer has risen by £39.73, from £43.99 last year to £83.72.
By contrast the Band D charge levied by neighbouring Downend & Bromley Heath Parish Council has gone down by 37p, from £65.74 to £65.37.
The main reason for the big increase in Emersons Green is a 58% rise in its overall budget, from £404,600 to £640,250.
A cut in the money it receives from developers building in the area, via the Community Infrastructure Levy, from £90,000 last year to £46,000, means more of the increase has to be paid by taxpayers.
The council is allowing for a £65,000 increase in staff expenditure, including the creation of a new youth officer role with a £25,800 salary, and is also allocating £23,700 to Emersons Green Village Hall and £35,000 to Citizens Advice, which were not funded last year.
Despite the big rise in Emersons Green, residents of Pucklechurch still face the biggest council tax bills in the area.
A Band D household there will pay a total of £2,337.51 from April – £131 more than last year.
The parish charge has risen by £27.63, to £128.99, to fund a 26% increase in the overall parish precept, from £96,896 to £121,896.
In Siston parish, which includes the Siston Hill estate, the overall precept has risen by 13.8%, from £40,000 to £45,500, the parish Band D charge is up by £3.05 to £26.39 and total bills are £109.14 more than last year.
The other element of council tax bills is ‘special expenses’ – a charge by South Gloucestershire Council for neighbourhood facilities it maintains, which varies from £24.95 in Emersons Green to £71.11 in Siston parish – the highest in the district.
Bills vary according to the size of a property – in Emersons Green Band A householders will face a total bill of £1,525.10, whereas a top Band H bill will be £4,575.34.
Band D council tax bills 2024/25
Emersons Green: £584,600 £83.72 £24.95 £2,287.67
Pucklechurch: £121,896 £128.99 £29.52 £2,337.51
Siston: £45,500 £26.39 £71.11 £2,276.50
Total tax bill is parish precept and special expenses charge, plus South Gloucestershire, police and fire charges.
Figures from South Gloucestershire Council