Residents have hit out at "disgusting" proposed council tax rises for their part of Leicestershire.

North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) announced it was proposing to increase council tax by 2.75% next year, calling it a "mid-range increase", but some residents are far from happy with the proposal.

News of the potential hike came after NWLDC announced it had a "more positive financial outlook" thanks to an increase in a council grant, but blamed the planned council tax rise on "inflation and increased demand for services".

Heading to Coalville, one of North West Leicestershire's biggest towns, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked residents their thoughts on the proposed council tax increase – and most were not in favour.

Sharon Jonson, 56, told the LDRS she thought the rise was "disgusting".

She added: "We give enough money for council tax and it's disgusting. We're struggling enough without it going up, so what are we going to do?

"They have this grant, and it doesn't really matter because they are still going to put up council tax. Nothing we can really do about it. It's disgusting".

65-year-old Fran, who lives in Bagworth, told the LDRS: "What do we pay for?" when asked whether or not she agreed with the rise.

She said: "I live alone, and it's really hard. We are paying for those that don't work and they get everything for free."

She told the LDRS she wanted more care to be taken with highways and potholes. She added: "There's a pothole not far from here that we've driven over, and last week, when it snowed so much, the [Market Hall] car park hadn't had snow removed. It just stood there and people had to deal with it.

"It's things like that I'd like to see more care given."

John Hextall, 74, said he wanted "more value for money" from the local councils.

advertisement

advertisement

He added: "The number of houses are increasing in the area yet the amount of money that they [the district council] want is also going up. They've got more people paying it [council tax] but it's still going up.

"What I want to see is better value for money when it comes to the money we spend and better decisions. They spend money on all these Christmas trees and decorations as well.

"We had three inches of snow and they overgritted Marlborough Square but when it came to the paths, there was hardly any. Hardly any of the paths were touched. Just better decisions being made about the money that we spend."

NWLDC has said the council tax rise would be an increase of £4.59 on the annual bill for a Band D property. Leicestershire county residents do not just pay council tax to their district or borough council, but to Leicestershire County Council, the police and fire services and, in some cases, to their parish or town council also.

This means residents in NWL can expect their total costs to increase by more overall.

Councillor Keith Merrie, Conservative finance and corporate portfolio holder at NWLDC, said "it might seem confusing to people" that the council is increasing tax despite getting better funding.

He added: "With the cost of providing services going up across the country and demand increasing week on week, there are still pressures, and we do still need to keep a close eye on our income to make sure we continue to be financially sound.

"The Government itself expects councils to increase council tax year on year, for this reason. That's why we're proposing a small increase in council tax – of around £4 or less for most households – to keep our income healthy and enough funding for vital services."