This page explains how your Council Tax is used to help provide Council services in 2024/2025 and it also explains how your Council Tax bill is calculated.
The Council Tax in Bedford Borough includes charges from:
- Bedford Borough Council;
- The Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire;
- Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority; and
- The Parish Council (in areas where there is a parish council).
Each charge is shown separately on the Council Tax bill.
Borough Council’s part of the Council Tax bill
The Government has assumed that councils will increase their Council Tax bill for 2024/2025 in working out how much Government support grant a council will receive in 2024/2025. It has also set limits on the amount by which Council Tax bills may be increased without being approved through a public referendum.
Councils with responsibilities for adult social care, including Bedford Borough Council, cannot increase their Council Tax for 2024/2025 by 5.0% or more (including an increase of up to 2.0% dedicated to spending on adult social care) unless the increase is approved through a public referendum. Bedford Borough Council will be increasing Council Tax by 2.99% plus 2.0% for adult social care to contribute towards this essential service; these increases are within the referendum limit. All funding raised through this additional 2.0% increase will be used for providing adult social care.
The Council set its Council Tax at a meeting of the Full Council on 28 February 2024. The increase in Council Tax for Bedford Borough Council, before adjustments for special area charges, is 4.99%.
The figures below show the change in the average Council Tax charge for the Borough Council’s part of the Council Tax bill. Individual increases will vary slightly from the average rate due to changes in the special area charges that are specific to different parts of the Borough.
Average Council Tax increase
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Total Council Tax charge 2023/2024 | 1,737.92 |
| (a) 2.99% - 2024/2025 Core Council Tax increase | 51.96 |
| Council Tax charge for 2024/2025 (excluding adult social care charge for 2024/2025) | 1,789.88 |
| (b) 2.00% - 2024/2025 Council Tax adult social care increase | 34.76 |
| Total Council Tax charge 2024/2025 | 1,824.64 |
| (a) + (b) = 2024/2025 Total Council Tax increase | 86.72 |
| Percentage increase (including Adult Social Care) | 4.99% |
Bedford Borough Council adult social care charge
Since 2016/2017 councils responsible for providing adult social care have been allowed an additional increase in Council Tax but must spend the money raised on providing social care. This extra increase is shown separately on each Council Tax bill as a percentage of the total Council Tax bill for the previous year (including the charges relating to the social care precept for previous years).
The total adult social care charge included in the overall Council Tax bill for 2024/2025 is £268.24. The composition of the annual increases in the adult social care precept for Bedford Borough for the average Band D Council Tax charge is shown in the table below:
| Year |
Social Care Charge £ |
% of Previous Year's Total Council Tax Bill |
|---|---|---|
| 2016/2017 | 25.96 | 2.00% |
| 2017/2018 | 40.60 | 3.00% |
| 2018/2019 | 28.35 | 2.00% |
| 2019/2020 | 14.71 | 1.00% |
| 2020/2021 | 30.15 | 2.00% |
| 2021/2022 | 27.45 | 1.75% |
| 2022/2023 | 32.48 | 2.00% |
| 2023/2024 | 33.78 | 2.00% |
| 2024/2025 | 34.76 | 2.00% |
| Total to date | 268.24 |
Bedford Borough Council special area charges
Each household’s Council Tax bill will vary based upon where you live in the Borough. Bedford Borough Council provides community centres and parks services in some parts of the Borough that are provided by parish councils in other areas. An adjustment is made to the average amount of Council Tax for the different areas to ensure that residents are not charged twice for these services.
The table below sets out the total adjustment for each part of the Borough for special area charges (please note the figures in the table are for Bedford Borough Council's part of the Council Tax only and do not include charges for other precepting bodies i.e. Parish Councils, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority - see further details below about the full Council Tax charge).
|
Bedford Urban Area |
Kempston Urban Area |
Brickhill Parish |
Other Parishes |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Average Council Tax | 1,824.64 | 1,824.64 | 1,824.64 | 1,824.64 |
| Deduct Average of Special Area Amount* | (20.34) | (20.34) | (20.34) | (20.34) |
| Special Area Charge | 40.89 | 23.38 | 27.84 | 3.58 |
| Band D Council Tax | 1,845.19 | 1,827.68 | 1,832.14 | 1,807.88 |
*The average Council Tax is the total Council Tax precept for the Council, including the special area charges, if households in all areas were required to pay the same special area charge. The average amount relating to special area charges included in this figure is then deducted to work out the Council Tax charge for each area without the special area charge. The appropriate charge for the services specific to each area funded by the special area charge is then added onto the bill to give the band D Council Tax for each area.
Parish Council costs
The Council Tax bill may also include a Parish Precept, which is the amount requested by the local Town or Parish Council for areas in which there is a town or parish council. On average the cost of the Parish Council adds £34.81 to a bill for a Band D property. This is an increase of £1.88 on last year.
Fire and Police costs
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire and the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority are responsible for setting their own level of Council Tax. Their Council Tax figures are then included in the overall Council Tax shown on the bill.
The following figures show where the money comes from to pay for the Borough Council’s net revenue expenditure plus the Band D Council Tax for the Police and Fire Authorities.
Council Tax and spending plans for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire
Council Tax and spending plans for the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority
How your Council Tax is calculated
The average Council Tax at Band D including the Police and Fire Authorities is £2,237.26 (£2,132.39 in 2023/2024).
| 2023/2024 | 2024/2025 | Increase | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Tax at Band D | Council Tax at Band D | ||||
| £m | £ | £m | £ | ||
| 158.5 | Bedford Borough Net Budget | 170.2 | |||
| Less: | |||||
| (6.9) | Government Grants | (7.4) | |||
| (41.7) | Retained Business Rates | (45.5) | |||
| (1.3) | Council Tax Surplus/Deficit | (1.1) | |||
| 108.6 | 1,737.92 | Bedford Borough Council Tax | 116.2 | 1,824.64 | 4.99% |
| 2.1 | 32.93 | Parish/Town Council | 2.2 | 34.81 | 5.71% |
| 110.6 | 1,770.85 | Council Tax including Parish/Town Councils | 118.4 | 1,859.45 | 5.00% |
| 15.7 | 252.09 | Police & Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire | 16.9 | 265.09 | 5.16% |
| 6.8 | 109.45 | Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Authority | 7.2 | 112.72 | 2.99% |
| 133.1 | 2,132.39 | Total Council Tax | 142.5 | 2,237.26 | 4.92% |
*There may be rounding differences in this table.
Please note that it is difficult to directly compare the net budget in 2023/2024 with 2024/2025 due to the changes resulting from the Business Rate Revaluation including where income payable by local businesses has been substituted by government grants.
Bedford Borough Council's budget
The 2024/2025 Budget includes additional investments of £18.256 million which cover a range of demand pressures that have been highlighted throughout the General Fund Revenue Budget report. These investments include £2 million to deliver service priorities; these include the continuation of free town centre parking and investment in town centre initiatives and additional maintenance across the Borough, active travel and school improvement services.
The 2024/2025 budget has been set against a context of reduced Government funding and increasing service/cost pressures, in particular in relation to Adult Social Care. It is anticipated that this context will continue over the medium term and as such, the Council will continue to face the challenge of providing key services within overall reduced resources.
In setting its budget the Council also has to take into account unavoidable spending pressures such as those arising from increases in external costs due to changes in government policy, inflation and additional demand.
The Council has had to make difficult decisions in order to set a balanced budget and keep Council Tax affordable whilst, as far as possible, protecting front line services. A total reduction of £6.090 million through savings and efficiencies has been included in the budget.
The Council has been able to continue key front-line services that matter to residents, and make further investments in adult social care services, as well as continuing a free car parking offer in the town centre.
How Council Tax is spent on local services
Bedford Borough Council provides major services such as education, social care, highways, waste collection and disposal, housing benefits and economic development. A summary of the revenue budget approved by Bedford Borough Council is shown below:
|
Net Budget £ million |
|
|---|---|
| Adults Services | 61.1 |
| Children's Services | 48.3 |
| Corporate Services | 27.5 |
| Environment | 30.3 |
| Finance | 4.6 |
| Sub Total | 171.8 |
| Financing | (1.5) |
| Total for 2024/2025 | 170.2 |
| Total for 2023/2024 | 158.5 |
* Please note there may be rounding differences in the table.
How the Council’s Budget has changed
The table below sets out the movements to the 2023/2024 revenue budget position to determine the 2024/2025 revenue budget:
|
Net Budget £ million |
|
|---|---|
| 2023/2024 Revenue Budget | 158.5 |
| Net Inflation | 5.3 |
| Other Funding Adjustments | (5.6) |
| Investments | 18.3 |
| Efficiency savings | (3.7) |
| One-off adjustments | (2.5) |
| 2024/2025 Revenue Budget | 170.2 |
Capital spending
In addition to the revenue budget, the Council has agreed a Capital Programme of £273.3 million for 2024/2025 and future years on new and existing schemes. A summary of capital expenditure is set out below:
| 2024/2025 | 2025/2026 | Future Years | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £m | £m | £m | £m | |
| Gross Directorate Budgets | ||||
| Children's | 52.0 | 6.6 | 16.3 | 74.9 |
| Environment | 55.9 | 37.2 | 24.9 | 118.0 |
| Corporate Services | 28.4 | 10.5 | 4.8 | 43.7 |
| Transformation | 3.2 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 4.6 |
| Strategies | 5.0 | 12.0 | 15.0 | 32.0 |
| Gross Total | 144.5 | 67.7 | 61.0 | 273.3 |
| Financed by | ||||
| Grants & Contributions | 92.4 | 28.2 | 41.8 | 162.3 |
| Revenue | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Capital Receipts: General | 15.4 | 11.0 | 8.1 | 34.5 |
| Borrowing Requirement* | 36.6 | 28.2 | 10.7 | 75.5 |
| Total Financing | 144.5 | 67.7 | 61.0 | 273.3 |
rounding differences may be present in this table.
*No additional external borrowing is anticipated as a result of the Capital Programme investment, further details on the Council’s borrowing activities are set out in the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy.
The authority has agreed a gross capital programme of £273 million for the years 2024/2025 onwards. This includes investment in additional school and primary care provision, transport and highways maintenance schemes, investment in the town centre, support to temporary accommodation and Wixams Railway Station.
Capital expenditure is financed from grants, contributions, capital receipts, revenue, or borrowing. All capital projects are evaluated to ensure that any resulting ongoing revenue costs are affordable within current Council funding.
Further information
The detailed Revenue Budget and Capital Programme is included in the Council’s ‘Revenue Budget and Capital Programme.’
Corporate Plan
The Council must spend every pound as efficiently as possible. This may mean providing services in different ways and certainly means the Council must respond to service needs as quickly and effectively as possible. The Corporate Plan sets out the priorities for the Council that informs the policy framework for achieving the required ongoing savings whilst meeting the Council’s strategic objectives and statutory obligations. The Corporate Plan is part of the Council’s adopted Policy Framework and articulates at a strategic high-level the Council’s goals and priorities over the medium term.
There is a continued commitment, in response to the financial challenges, to further develop an ambitious plan to transform service quality, realign financial resources to corporate plan priorities and improve customer.