Rochford District Council approved a balanced budget and set its Council tax for the next financial year at Full Council this week (Tuesday 20 February).
To maintain vital services, the Council agreed to increase the Rochford District Council element of Council Tax by 2.99% for 2024/25. This means the charge of a Band D property increases by £7.55 a year to £260.00 per annum for Rochford District Council services. This increase is largely in line with District councils across Essex.
For council fees and charges in 2024/25, these will generally rise in line with inflation at the time they were formulated. However, benchmarking these fees against other local authorities, and considering the impacts on residents has also been taken into consideration and in some cases, fees are being removed or reduced.
Key changes to parking fees include:
- No charge to NHS mobile screening units to use council owned car parks
- Removing parking charges for visitors to Cherry Orchard Country Park in June 2024
- Reducing the cost of parking for 30 minutes in The Market, Castle Road, Bellingham Lane, Southend Road, Freight House and Back Lane car parks in June 2024
- The majority of the other car parking fees in council owned car parks will increase by either 10p or 20p in June 2024.
The Council’s agreed medium term financial strategy includes a five-year investment programme that supports the whole district, including £1m for the Mill Arts & Events Centre, aimed at providing the venue with all it needs to thrive, serve its community and attract new events and productions. Other planned investments include £380,000 for new waste vehicles, £100,000 for our High Streets and Town Centres and £78,000 for improved infrastructure at Cherry Orchard Country Park.