Shrewsbury Town Council to freeze its part of tax bill

The authority will also invest more cash in the town’s Britain in Bloom bid, says council leader Peter Nutting.

In April, town councillors backed plans to raise their portion of the council tax bill by nearly nine per cent, a move which saw Shrewsbury taxpayers have to fork out an extra 6p a week.

The authority increased its Band D council band rate from £36.77 to £39.89 a year to rake in an extra £950,000.

But Mr Nutting said the current rate would be frozen next year as the authority was in a ‘healthy’ financial position.

“We are running surplus at the minute and expect to be in the same position next year,” he said.

Mr Nutting said the authority was able to prevent a further rise in council tax due to an increase in revenue from new properties being built in the town.

He also said: “The one per cent is a reward for the staff for the good work they do. We are really pleased with their efforts in keeping the town in shape during difficult circumstances. We want to thank them,” he added.

Mr Nutting said the council also wanted to invest in the Britain in Bloom competition. Shrewsbury scooped a gold award last month, and was also crowned overall category winner. The town will now go forward to represent the region in the national stages of Britain in Bloom, next year.