Resident lodged formal complaint over 13% Biggleswade council tax hike
A resident made a formal complaint to Biggleswade Town Council after the local authority approved a 13 per cent increase in its share of council tax for 2025/26, a meeting heard.
The issue was satisfactorily resolved through the council’s complaints procedures, its annual statutory meeting was told.
Councillors were required to note that BTC received a formal complaint from a resident relating to the precept rise. A letter was dispatched explaining the context behind the decision and the relevant minutes, said the meeting agenda.
“This matter is being reported to BTC, consistent with the complaints process.”
BTC’s total precept for the current financial year is £1.83m and the budget is £2.1m. “In real terms, this equates to an extra £26.68 per annum for a Band D property,” the local authority said in a social media post at the time its budget was set.
The desired level of precept for the next financial year was a £26.67 increase for the whole year or 13 per cent for a Band D property.
Town clerk Peter Tarrant explained at BTC’s annual statutory meeting: “There was a formal complaint made by a resident to the local authority’s precept, which was connected to the new financial year (2025/26).
“That documentation was shared with the (former) mayor, deputy mayor, and the finance and general purposes committee chairman. As a consequence of that conversation, I sent a detailed letter to the complainant and also attached various reports for information.
“The resident seemed happy with that response. There’s a requirement that this is notified to members.”
Labelled “a depressing milestone” by former town mayor and Conservative Central Bedfordshire Council Biggleswade East councillor Grant Fage prior to the budget being agreed, he warned: “BTC is taking two days pay already off someone on £27,000 annually.
“There are people who might be earning £27,000 a year, with a daily pay pre-tax of £104. With the 13 per cent option, you’re well above two whole days of someone’s work just to pay for this council.
“That’s before their mortgage, any of their living costs, CBC’s increase, and any other taxes they pay. It’s a depressing milestone.”
Town councillor Jo Jones suggested in January the viewpoints on “both sides are really compelling”, saying: “If we only just break even, we haven’t accounted for contracting (public realm work) in the budget, so that could push us over a little and cause trouble. We’re future-proofing ourselves by doing this.”
Ex-mayor and town councillor Madeline Russell previously referred to several public realm activities, such as cleaning up after events, adding: “The higher rates of council tax are much because of the national insurance employer’s increase.
“The only larger council in Central Bedfordshire setting a lower rate of tax is dipping into its reserves.”
Mr Tarrant had said at a BTC precept setting meeting: “This is the end result of a detailed budgetary process agreed with councillors several months ago.
“The council has an obligation to maintain its capital estate. The council’s capacity and competencies are increasing. It’s taken back some of the externalised functions it had, such as outsourcing the finance to a private accounting firm.”