North Somerset Council proposes 8.99% council tax increase
Council leaders argue they face no other choice due to reduced government funding
North Somerset Council says it is being “forced” into raising its council tax by 8.99% by the government.
The council is one of only seven in the country which have been given permission to increase their council tax by more than 4.99%. This will add £13.44 onto the North Somerset Council section of an average band D property’s monthly council tax bill.
The council wrote to the government in December to request a council tax flexibility, but top councillors say they were forced into the move by a cut in their government funding. Council leader Mike Bell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We are being punished for being successful.”
He said: “For being a low cost, low spending, low taxing council, the government has decided to penalise us.” He warned North Somerset’s historically low council tax meant it generated less income that way. Even after the 8.99% council tax rise, council tax in North Somerset will still be below the national average.
Mr Bell (Weston-super-Mare Central, Liberal Democrat) said North Somerset already received less government funding than other councils but — despite rising costs in social care — the government is cutting its funding by almost £18.6m over the next three years and has refused to give it any recovery grant.
Labour MP for North Somerset Sadik Al-Hassan told the BBC’s Points West that the council had to make sure that people felt their lives were getting better as a result of the council tax hike. He said: “If this is just about making things the way they are, I think we’re going to … have a situation where people don’t feel like they’ve got value for money.”
But that is exactly what the council has said will happen. Mr Bell said: “It will feel like paying more and getting less — and, until the government acts to fix the system, that will carry on.”
He told a council cabinet meeting on Wednesday (February 11): “The reality is that for 2026/27 and the foreseeable future, we are going to need to both reduce services/act more efficiently and increase council tax, so it continues to be that perfect storm that we have been living through over the last decade and more.”
He said: “It is an extremely disappointing situation where our historic challenges around our low tax base are simply not being reflected by government and we are being forced into some of the choices that we are.”
Top councillors at the meeting put the blame for the situation squarely with the government. Cabinet member for planning and environment Annemieke Waite (Winford, Green) told the meeting she was “very disappointed” with the government. She said: “Nobody wants to increase council tax in the way we are doing but I feel they have left us absolutely no other choice.”
Cabinet member for adult social services Roger Whitfield (Portishead East, Portishead Independents) said the fault rested with previous governments too, and warned it was essential the council continue to protect social care — despite the increasing costs. He said: “Hopefully at some stage the government will turn round and realise the mess it has made for us.”
The council tax increase will be voted on by the full council when it sets its budget on February 24. Wednesday’s cabinet meeting was supposed to agree on a balanced budget to recommend to the full council meeting — but even with the exceptional council tax increase, the council still has a £2.4m budget gap.
Mr Bell said he was confident the council would find a way to balance the budget. There are already £18m of cuts, savings, and new ways of generating income included in the planned budget, which follow over £100m of savings that the council has made over the past 10 years.
Councils in the United Kingdom are required by law to set a balanced budget each year. If it cannot, its top finance officer is required to issue a section 114 notice — often referred to as a council going bankrupt — which enacts emergency measures. Only 17 section 114 notices have ever been issued, 11 of which have been since 2018.
In her letter approving North Somerset’s 8.99% council tax rise, local government minister Alison McGovern said: “The government recognises the challenging position faced by councils and the significant work that is needed to fix the foundations of local government. The government is delivering on much needed reform, so funding is redistributed in a fairer way. Reform will take time and there is potential for continued instability as we work to fix the foundations of local government. That is why there will continue to be a framework in place to support councils in the most difficult positions.”
Increasing costs for social care — which the council is legally required to provide — has seen North Somerset Council make major cuts every time it sets its budget in recent years. Last year, it took £9.1m out of its reserves to balance its budget for 2025/26 but it still had to make major cuts which one councillor said would “strip our services to the bone.” Two local libraries are set to be closed under the cuts, which also saw the North Somerset Life magazine axed, and councillors’ allowances frozen.
The full council will meet in Weston-super-Mare Town Hall at 6pm on February 24 to vote on the council tax rise and its budget for 2026/27.