Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority considers trebling council tax bill to pay for bus improvements

People could see their council tax bill trebled in order to help pay for improvements to bus services.The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is considering increasing its share of council tax from £12 a year for a Band D property to £36 a year.The increase to the Mayoral precept is one of the options being considered to fund the £7.5million a year investment the Combined Authority said is needed for the county’s bus network.

The Mayoral precept was added to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough council tax bill for the first time this year with Band D properties paying £12 per year to the Combined Authority.The precept was added to help fund the bus services the authority agreed to fund when they were put at risk of being cutA final decision on whether the increase goes ahead will be made in January next year.The Combined Authority is planning to hold a consultation on the proposals giving people the chance to share their views on the potential increase.A report presented to the Combined Authority board meeting this week (November 29) said the consultation will ask people whether there is support for increasing the Mayoral precept to cover the cost of additional and more frequent routes on the bus network.The report said further investment was needed in the bus network, including improving bus stops and shelters, improving the synchronisation of the bus services with other networks, and reducing the fares to £1 a journey.The Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said the focus at this point was agreeing to consult on the budget and not to make any final decision.Councillor Chris Boden (Conservative), leader of Fenland District Council, said he did not agree with everything in the proposals, but said the preparation process had been better than previous years.

Increased precept will ‘go down extremely badly’, mayor suggests

However, he said he could not “resist temptation” to comment on the potential council tax increase.He said the suggestion to treble the Mayoral precept would “go down extremely badly” with people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, adding that the council tax bill was “one of the biggest burdens” for people.Councillor Bridget Smith (Liberal Democrat), leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said she had had a “long debate” with her party group in South Cambridgeshire about the proposals.She said their view was that it would be an “appropriate use of the Mayoral precept” to fund bus improvements, which she described as “lamentable”.Cllr Smith also highlighted that district councils could offer discounts on council tax to those on the lowest incomes and said it was also the responsibility of partner councils to do the “utmost” to support people through the cost of living crisis.

Peterborough leader says Combined Authority needs to make a case for the money

Councillor Mohammed Farooq (Peterborough First), leader of Peterborough City Council, said he agreed the increase would be “difficult for residents to swallow”.However, he said the Combined Authority needed to make the case for what this money would be used for in each area, as he said this could make it “easier to swallow”.Councillor Anna Smith (Labour), representative from Cambridge City Council, said she agreed that by clearly setting out what the tax was proposed to fund, members of the public would then be able to share their views on this in the consultation.A majority of the board members agreed the draft budget should go out for consultation.