Tax increase after Ludlow Town Council loses £173,000 during pandemic
A town council is increasing council tax after estimating it will have lost more than £170,000 over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ludlow Town Council agreed its budget this week, and confirmed its losses primarily come from missing out on fees from the market, street trading, public toilets and Ludlow Museum at the Buttercross.
Mayor of Ludlow, Councillor Tim Gill, said: "During 2020, Ludlow Town Council published a commitment to be mindful of the local economic impact of Covid-19 when setting its budget, to set a sustainable budget, and to safeguard local services.
"The town council has taken a hard look at its running costs and reserves, and agreed a budget figure that means a weekly increase of just 20p on Band D council tax. This is an annual increase of £10.37 per band D household."
Town clerk Gina Wilding added: "The town council found ways to deliver things differently. We really enjoyed working on the video celebrating Ludlow’s magical sparkle at Christmas and delivering the goodie bags to senior citizens in Ludlow."
Small grants of up to £300 are available for local community groups from the town council and application forms and criteria can be found at ludlow.gov.uk/your-council/services-we-provide/grants or by calling 01854 871 970.
