Taxpayers in Watford are set to see a rise on their borough council tax bill for the coming year.

Watford Borough Council has passed new budget plans which it says will “prioritise initiatives to improve the wellbeing of residents and Watford’s environment”, as well as supporting the NHS through the Covid-19 pandemic and helping local businesses.

As part of the new budget, the council agreed to increase its share of council tax bills by 1.7 per cent, which is lower than the two per cent rise in the last financial year.

It means a resident in a Band D property is set to pay an average of £278.24 in council tax to the borough council for its services for the year 2021/22 - which equates to 9p per week increase.

The budget was passed during a virtual council meeting on Tuesday evening – all Liberal Democrat councillors voted in favour of it while Labour abstained.

Watford Labour group leader Nigel Bell said he could not vote for the budget due to the rise in council tax.

He said: “In our view, not just nationally but locally, we think its wrong to make residents pay that 1.7 per cent council tax rise after what they have gone through this last year.”

Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said: “It’s a difficult time for many councils across the country as the coronavirus continues to challenge every aspect of what we deliver. Thanks to years of sensible financial management, Watford Council has been able to respond to this pandemic effectively.

“Despite the impact of less income and more spending to help those most in need in our town, we remain committed to delivering the best possible services for local residents, making our parks even better and supporting local businesses.  We will continue to invest in projects that will make a real difference to residents’ quality of life and we will help our business community to survive and thrive into the future.”

Hertfordshire Country Council, who receive the largest share of council tax revenue, and the Police and Crime Commission have yet to finalise their council tax figures, so the final 2021-22 sum will be announced in March.

In addition to all the standard services provided for residents and businesses, the budget will set aside funding for:

  • Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping
  • Responding to Covid and supporting the NHS
  • Wellbeing
  • Caring for the local environment
  • Supporting local businesses