Council leaders at Babergh are due to discuss future fees and charges for council services – pledging to keep increases fair and continue to support those in need. 

Babergh cabinet will meet on Monday 9 January, to agree proposed fees and charges for a range of council services in 2023/24.

Also on the agenda for January's cabinet meetings is further help for those most in need – and the possibility of zero council tax for the poorest households in Babergh and Mid Suffolk.  

Fees and charges are a vital revenue stream for local authorities – helping to sustain essential services for residents and communities. 

Proposed changes to fees and charges for a range of council services next year cover statutory charges – which are set nationally and which the councils cannot control, such as licensing and building control – and discretionary charges for non-essential services, such as bulky item or garden waste collections.

For most people, the main change would be an increase of £2 a year for garden waste collections from next April, with renewals going from £57 to £59 for existing customers. New customers would pay £69 – a £7 increase, but still only the equivalent of £2.65 for each fortnightly collection. 

If agreed, the new fees and charges will bring in just over £4m for Babergh District Council, equivalent to 11% of the council's gross expenditure.

Cllr David Busby, cabinet member for Finance for Babergh District Council said: "We face a tricky balancing act in keeping our fees and charges affordable for everyone already under financial pressure. While we have no option to put up some charges, we've also managed some reductions. We are being as fair as possible."

Also on the agenda for January's cabinet meeting is a decision over how the council should run its Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2023-24 – offering further help for those most in need.

Proposals would see council tax bills reduced by up to 100% for working age adults with the lowest incomes, simplifying the scheme for those on Universal Credit – particularly those with fluctuating monthly earnings – and the introduction of a transitional protection scheme seeks to ensure that no one will be worse off under the changes. 

Cllr Busby said: "We need a system where people make a fair contribution towards council services without unnecessary means testing or costly recalculations of awards for those with fluctuating earnings.  

"Our current scheme is administratively burdensome. As well as offering much-needed support to those most in need, these proposals could also see us save as much as £75k-£150K a year in administration costs."