Residents of an Isle of Wight town will pay around £13 more on top of their council tax bill next year, as under-threat services are saved.
On Monday, Ryde Town Council (RTC) agreed to increase its precept by 9.4 per cent — a £12.70 a year rise for a Band C resident.
The hike will go towards footing the bill for Ryde Help Centre, after the Isle of Wight Council announced it would stop funding the provision, which has been based in Ryde Library for more than ten years.
Cllr Phil Jordan said the library itself could be under threat in the 2024/25 budget.
The Isle of Wight Council has struggled to pay for additional services as continued cuts are made to its funding, so town and parish councils have had to pick up the services instead.
In recent years, RTC has funded beach cleaning and extra rubbish collections in the summer, public toilets, lifeguards and grass cutting.
Cllr Jordan said services had been “drained from the community by government austerity” and he fears they might lost altogether if Ryde Town Council doesn’t step in.
Cllr Simon Cooke said the town council had set a precedent and was seen to step up to take services on.
He supported the increase because, without it, he feared further decline.
There were schemes in place though, Cllr Cooke said, to make money to prevent residents footing the entire bill.
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