Guide to council tax 2021/22
Your council tax is collected by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, but the money you pay goes towards the funding of a number of other public service providers in your area. The breakdown of how much of your council tax goes to each service provider is shown on your bill.
The full bill for a band D property in an area without a parish or town council would be £1,778.76 broken down as shown below:
On this page
- Local authority referendums and increases shown on council tax bills
- How much is our share of the council tax?
- Balanced budget measures mean just 10p a week council tax rise
- Budget changes
- Spending on our services
- Where do we get the money from to fund the services?
- What this means for a band D council tax payer
- Capital spending
- Want to know more?
Local authority referendums and increases shown on council tax bills
For 2021/22 any increases in the council tax by this council or a major preceptor (County Council, Fire and Police) that are equal to or more than the relevant referendum threshold set by the Government, will trigger a local referendum.
| Authority | 2020/21
Band D Council Tax £ |
2021/22
Band D Council Tax £ |
Government
Referendum Limit |
Increase
(£) |
Increase
(%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire County Council
(including Adult Social Care) |
1,286.28 | 1,350.45 | 5% | 64.17 | 4.99 |
| Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire | 211.46 | 226.46 | £15.01 | 15.00 | 7.09 |
| Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council | 126.42 | 131.42 | £5.01 | 5.00 | 3.96 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority | 69.06 | 70.43 | 2% | 1.37 | 1.99 |
Please note that for billing purposes only the percentage increase shown on the bill is rounded to one decimal place. For example 4.99% will be shown as 5.0%.
How much is our share of the council tax?
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's share of the council tax pays for a range of services, including bin collection, recycling, planning and building control, community safety, housing services, street cleansing, grass cutting, environmental health, licensing, car parking, leisure, sport, culture and the arts.
Households in the borough living in an area without a parish or town council will pay £131.42 council tax at band D for services provided by the borough council - that is 36p per day.
Those living in rural areas may pay an additional sum to cover the services provided by their town or parish council. If this applies to you, details of the amount your parish council requires to be raised through council tax will be shown on your bill.
Balanced budget measures mean just 10p a week council tax rise
The borough council collects council tax from residents, but the vast majority of this money goes to other public service providers such as Hampshire County Council, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire, as well as parish and town councils.
Over the past five years, this council has suffered a 62% reduction in the level of central government funding. This funding will be £4.28M lower in 2021/22 compared to 2016/17. There also remains continued pressure on the council’s expenditure due to inflationary cost increases, increased demand for services, the impact of partner organisations responses to austerity measures and very low interest rates reducing interest income.
However, the council maintains its vow to protect vital frontline services, and to improve safety, plan for the future, protect and enhance the environment and strengthen communities.
To help achieve this, the council have a balanced package of measures, which only increase its part of the council tax by 10p extra a week for an average household.
The measures also include continuing efficiency savings. The council has a target of finding another £2.69M of savings and additional income in 2021/22, building on savings of more than £15.1M since 2009.
The council continues to invest in major projects, in order to lay strong foundations for the long-term future of the borough. The capital programme for 2021/22 is estimated at £31.58M.
This includes £14.76M on major projects such as £14.31M on Manydown as part of the scheme to bring up to 3,520 houses to the north of the borough and £0.45M on Basing View Regeneration, thereby providing new facilities, attracting investment and generating additional income to support frontline services.
All of these measures will mean that the council is able to continue to invest in the community, to support those most in need and to spend the one of the highest amounts per head on services of all districts in Hampshire, despite having one of the lowest council tax levels in Hampshire.
Budget changes
There are reasons other than inflation why our budget and therefore the amount required from council tax has changed.
The table below shows the major changes to income and expenditure between 2020/21 and 2021/22.
| £M | |
|---|---|
| Last year's council tax requirement (year to 31 March 2021) | 8.43 |
| Removal of last year's one-off funded items | (1.61) |
| Inflation | 1.11 |
| Additional spending on identified service priorities for the year | 3.58 |
| Efficiency and budget savings | (3.06) |
| Additional income from services (including fees and charges) | (0.21) |
| Reduction in interest and investment income | 0.92 |
| Reduction in new homes bonus grant from the Government | 0.52 |
| Reduction in business rates income | 0.60 |
| Reduction in collection fund deficit (business rates) | (1.29) |
| Reduction in collection fund surplus (council tax) | 0.08 |
| Increase in specific grants from the Government | (1.07) |
| Increase in capital expenditure funded from revenue | 1.04 |
| Increase in use of revenue reserves to fund capital | (1.04) |
| Increase in net contributions to other revenue reserves | 0.76 |
| This year’s council tax requirement (year from 1 April 2021) | 8.76 |
Spending on our services
For 2021/22 our council tax requirement is £8,756,147. This is broken down as shown below:
| 2020/21
NET £M |
Council Plan Priorities (this includes running costs and charges relating to the use of assets, such as buildings and vehicles used to provide services) | 2021/22
NET £M |
|---|---|---|
| 4.39 | Improving Safety | 3.92 |
| 4.69 | Planning for the Future | 4.89 |
| 3.84 | Protecting and Enhancing our Environment | 4.19 |
| 18.24 | Strengthening Communities | 18.98 |
| 5.62 | Fit for the Future | 5.05 |
| 36.78 | Net cost of services | 37.03 |
| General income and funding | ||
| (13.11) | Income from our property (mostly in rents from commercial buildings) | (13.05) |
| (3.56) | The interest we get from our investments | (2.64) |
| (7.37) | Income from grants and contributions | (8.53) |
| 3.50 | Contribution to/(from) reserves (money set aside to pay for future service spending on specific items) | 4.27 |
| (7.81) | Removal of charges relating to the use of assets, such as buildings and vehicles used to provide services (as these are not charged to council tax) | (8.32) |
| 8.43 | Council tax requirement | 8.76 |
Where do we get the money from to fund the services?
The services we provide for the borough are not just paid for by the council tax. The total funding is shown below:
What this means for a band D council tax payer
Most of the information given in this guide refers to council tax in a band D property in an area without a parish or town council. The total charge for the borough council for a band D council taxpayer is shown below:
| 2020/21 | 2021/22 | |
|---|---|---|
| £1,971.29 | Gross expenditure on services | £2,115.14 |
| (£1,844.87) | Less: income and use of reserves | (£1,983.72) |
| £126.42 | Council tax requirement (met by Council taxpayers) | £131.42 |
To find out your council tax charge for this year and for previous years, see our webpage - council tax charges.
Capital spending
As well as day-to-day costs, the council also spends money on assets with a lasting value (for example, new buildings, major maintenance work and vehicles). This is known as capital spending.
The table below shows planned expenditure on major schemes included in the council’s capital programme for 2021/22. This investment will create new facilities or improve, or look after, existing ones for the people of the borough.
| Capital schemes 2021/22 | £M |
|---|---|
| Basing View regeneration | 0.45 |
| Basing View 5G Living Lab | 0.96 |
| Low Cost Home Ownership Scheme | 0.58 |
| Smarter ways of working and digital programme | 2.54 |
| Local infrastructure fund | 1.15 |
| Operational vehicles, plant and equipment | 1.29 |
| Home improvement financial assistance | 1.59 |
| Operational land and buildings | 1.88 |
| Open space Improvements | 0.72 |
| Play area improvements | 0.80 |
| Manydown scheme | 14.31 |
| Sports facilities | 1.93 |
| Parking improvements | 1.01 |
| Community facilities improvements | 1.06 |
| Other schemes (under £0.5M) | 1.31 |
| Total | 31.58 |
Want to know more?
If you want to find out more about the council's plans and finances, all are available on the council's website, by clicking on the links below:
- The Medium Term Financial Strategy - giving a breakdown of the council's budget.
- The Council Plan - outlining our future priorities and plans.
- The Statement of Accounts - detailing our past financial performance.
You can request copies by emailing customer.service@basingstoke.gov.uk, by calling the customer contact centre on 01256 844844 or from the Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke.