£1m cut to South Holland District Council funding – but its council tax portion will drop for fourth year running

South Holland District Council is expected to cut its portion of the council tax bill next year despite a £1million drop in the grant it receives from central government.

It was confirmed last week that the grant the council receives from government for the year ahead has been reduced by around 15 per cent.
South Holland’s 2015-16 central grant funding has been confirmed as being £5.42million to support local services, down from £6.42million in 2014-15.

Despite this cut, Coun Gary Porter, leader of South Holland District Council, has reiterated the council’s commitment to reducing the council tax paid by residents.
He said: “It is disappointing that the grant has been cut by this amount, however we understand that the government has to balance its books due to the state of the economy.

“We are determined to defend our residents and ensure this cut isn’t passed on to them. That is why they will see a reduction in the council tax they pay for a fourth successive year.
“Back in 2011 we froze and then cut our share of the local tax bill. In 2015, cabinet will recommend that from April onwards we cut council tax again.
“This means a real terms cut of around 16 per cent for our residents.”

South Holland receives around 11 per cent of the total council tax collected within the district. The remainder goes to the police, county council and town and parish councils.