The average Essex household is set to pay an extra £1.39 each week for services provided by the county council to help bridge its budget gap. Expenditure pressures on the budget for 2024/25 total £100m. A 4.99% council tax increase would generate £40.3m of additional income. The planned extra money comes after what the council has described as a “disappointing” finance settlement late last year. The authority calculates its precept is set to increase from £1,450.17 for an average Band D home to £1,522.53 from April – an annual hike of £72.36. In 2023/24 those householders in Stansted paid a to…
