An Isle of Wight town council will charge its residents around £10 more a year.
It comes as Ryde Town Council agreed to buy the empty NatWest building in St Thomas’ Square, taking out a £466,000 loan.
Councillors agreed yesterday (Monday, February 5), subject to the outcome of an ongoing public consultation, to borrow the money to buy the building, which would cost more than £30,000 a year in repayments for the next 30 years.
If the council is successful in buying the former bank it could become the new home of the town council.
Last night the authority agreed to increase the amount of council tax it gets from residents by 7.4 per cent.
It means a taxpayer living in a Band C property in the town will have to pay £158.59 towards the activity of the town council, up from £147.64 the year before.
In the budget report, Cllr Phil Jordan, the town council’s finance committee chair, said the money allows them to continue to invest in the Ryde community, providing support for cultural organisations, protecting the town’s heritage and providing vital and necessary services across the town.
Among the projects for Ryde, the town council has agreed to fund an Isle of Wight Council planning enforcement officer at £15,700 a year for two days a week, which would be able to help tackle some of the eyesores and any planning breaches.
The council has ringfenced £5,000 for the skatepark on the Esplanade as a long-term solution for the recreation facility is devised with some ‘significant developments’ planned in the year ahead.
All councillors voted in favour of the increase apart from Cllr Les Kirkby who raised an issue with the £10,000 grant funding the town council has allocated for the Beach Weekender event on Ryde seafront in the summer.
He said the public authority was using £10,000 to pay a private company to hold a party on the beach.
Officers pointed out the council had agreed to the grant funding at an earlier meeting.
Other grants have been awarded to Isle of Wight Pride, New Carnival Club, John’s Club and towards Armed Forces Day.
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