At their meeting on 21^st January 2015 the Board Resolved to increase the village rate by 9p in the £ to 174p in the £ for the financial year commencing 1st April 2015.  Prior to this increase the village rate had remained unchanged for 4 years.  This equates to an average increase of £12.70 per household and is in response to the Department of Infrastructures proposal to transfer services to the Local Authority, these services include street cleaning, gulley emptying and the maintenance of hedges. To assist with funding the Government will freeze the gate fee for tipping at the Energy from Waste Plant, as a result of this freeze the fixed refuse charge will remain unchanged at £163 per household.

This increase is regrettable but unavoidable as the Government continues to balance the books by passing costs onto the ratepayer.  Unfortunately this trend is set to continue over the coming years as more services and costs are passed onto the Local Authorities.