Robin Smith’s Personal Message Board

(In association with the Local Public Message Board)

 

North Tyneside Council Tax

 

 

 

2008/9 Update

 

As usual, the graph plots above have been drawn up from the Council Tax booklets supplied by NTMBC over the last 12 years. Larger sized copies may be viewed by clicking on them. Comments are welcome!

 

Please note that the Council Tax figures shown in the graphs above do not include the money taken to support the Northumbria Police Authority, the Tyne & Wear Fire (sic) and C.D.A.

 

Please also note that the "Council Tax" figure used in all the graphs comes from the simple budget statement in the booklet that comes with the demand for the coming year, where it is referred to as "Cost Borne by Council Tax Payers". The rise in this figure since last year is 4.2 %. The rise in the "Cost Borne by Council Tax Payers" figure since 1997/8 is 91 %. The rise in actual Council Tax per household this year is 3.5 %. Part of the reason for the difference in the two figures, 4.2 % and 3.5 %, lies in the increase in the number of households that pay Council Tax. The figure below shows the year on year increase in "Cost Borne by Council Tax Payers" and for the Band D tax. (As the latter is expressed as a percentage the value is the same for all Council Tax bands!). The third graph in green is an approximation to the no. of equivalent Band D properties in North Tyneside used by the Council to determine the Council Tax.

 

 

This year, for the third year running, the Revenue Support Grant has been split into two parts, one called Revenue Support Grant, and the other called Dedicated School Grant. For the graphs I have kept them lumped together and continue to call the result, Revenue Support Grant.

 

Levies are what we have to pay the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority (PTA), the Tyne Port Health Authority, and the Environment Agency. By far the largest sum goes to the PTA and this went up the year before last by over £2 million to about £11.4 million, presumably because it needs the money to fund concessionary travel in addition to asking £8 for a Gold Card to to allow free travel on the Metro. Last year, 2007/8 the PTA levy has rose to over £11.8 million, and the Gold Card was increased to £12. This year (2008/9) the PTA levey is £12.448 million!

 

 

30 March 2008

 

Whitley Bay Regeneration

 

Finally the regeneration related to the Spanish City Island is getting underway. It seems unfortuneate that party politics has once again distorted reason and hijacked constructive discussion. We do not need a referendum if the majority of voters still do not know what is proposed and so, in their ignorance, may vote along lines set by party political prejudice.

 

With the changes in cost and timescale for the revised plans I should be able to see the completion without having to use a zimmer frame.

 

1 May 2006