Billing Information 2023/24
How much do I have to pay?
You will be receiving a letter before April 2023 with your new council tax bill information. In the meantime, you can always check here: 2023/24 Council Tax Charges (PDF) [71KB]
What do you spend it on?
Torridge District Council plans to spend £33.772m (£29.218m 2022/23 ) this year on providing services. £29.218m (£23.749m in 2022/23) of this comes from income we receive from grants, fees and charges which leaves a Council Tax Requirement of £4.554m (£4.368m 2022/23).
Torridge is pleased to be able to balance its Budget for 2023/24 without any major impacts on the levels of services provided.
This has been achieved by:
- realising funds from the reserves
- prudent management and use of the Council's resources
- continued in year challenge and reduction of spending needs across all services
- ensuring reserves are to allocated priority areas linking our Service Business Plans to our Strategic Plan
- careful and considered vacancy management
This is not the end of the story as the Government plans major change to the way Local Government funding is allocated from 2024/25. In conjunction the Council is actively reviewing its budgets to see how they can be brought back into balance without further use of reserves.
The graphics below illustrate how Torridge spends its share, and which council gets how much of your council tax.
Torridge District Council as the billing authority is responsible for collecting Council Tax, however the vast majority of Council Tax collected is on behalf of its Preceptors. For every £1 collected in Council Tax:
- 8 pence is kept by Torridge District Council (for waste and recycling, housing, environmental protection, economic development, street cleaning, leisure, etc.)
- 4 pence goes to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority (for fire prevention, fire and rescue).
- 3 pence goes to Town and Parish Councils (for local amenities)
- 12 pence goes to Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner (for law and order and crime reduction)
- 72 pence goes to Devon County Council (for education, roads, care for elderly, care for disabled, child protection, public health, libraries, recycling centres, waste disposal)
The percentage of the Council Tax retained by Torridge Council for 2023/24 is 8%. Torridge Council Tax for 2023/24 has increased by £5.34 per Band D Equivalent (2.99%). The value of Council Tax retained by Torridge Council has been in long term decline due to the following factors:
Devon County Council has, in recent years, been allowed to raise an additional social care precept which has seen their share of Council Tax rise. Devon County Council increase per Band D Equivalent (4.99% in 2023/24).
Town and Parish Councils unlike Torridge Council are not subject to referendum limits and have raised their Council Tax by an average of 10.32% in 2023/24; there have been similar increases in recent years.
Devon & Cornwall Police Commissioner have been allowed to increase their Band D Council Tax by above inflation in recent years, the increase for 2023/24 being 6.08%.
You can read more information on what Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority, Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner, Devon County Council spend.
Statement concerning adult social care funding required by statute
The following wording is required by the Council Tax (Demand Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020:
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has made an offer to adult social care authorities. ("Adult social care authorities" are local authorities which have functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, namely county councils in England, district councils for an area in England for which there is no county council, London borough councils, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.)
The offer was the option of an adult social care authority being able to charge an additional "precept" on its council tax without holding a referendum, to assist the authority in meeting its expenditure on adult social care from the financial year 2016-17. It was originally made in respect of the financial years up to and including 2019-20. If the Secretary of State chooses to renew this offer in respect of a particular financial year, this is subject to the approval of the House of Commons.
Adult Social Care in Devon
The government assumes in its calculation of core spending power that all local authorities will increase Council Tax by the maximum amount in 2023/24 (that is, 3% plus the increase in the adult social care precept). Councils with adult social care responsibilities will be able to increase their Council Tax by a further 2% in 2023/24, on top of the core principle, to be spent exclusively on adult social care. For 2022/23 Devon County Council's precept included a 1% increase for adult social care. For more information and an explanation of how the the adult social care component is calculated can be found on the link below.
May 2023 Elections
You now need photo ID to vote at a polling station. Please find detail in the following leaflet. Elections Voter ID Leaflet (PDF) [1MB]
Other useful information about Council Tax can also be found in this section of the Council's website together with information about the new Council Tax Support scheme.
Related Downloads
2023/24 How to Pay your Council Tax (PDF) [137KB]
2023/24 Billing Continuation Sheet (PDF) [366KB]
2023/24 Waste & Recycling Council Tax Insert (PDF) [4MB]
2023/24 Devon and Cornwall Police Funding (PDF) [3MB]
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