COUNCIL taxpayers in the Taunton Deane and West Somerset areas will be billed between just over £1,300 and almost £4,000 in the year from April depending on where they live.

The bills being sent out will cover demands from county, district and parish councils; the police; and the fire and rescue service.

The overall bills for each home band are:

  • Band A: £1, 306.27.
  • Band B: £1,523.98.
  • Band C: £1,741.70.
  • Band D: £1,959.41.
  • Band E: £2,394.84.
  • Band F: £2,830.27.
  • Band G: £3,265.68.
  • Band H: £3,918.82.

(The totals include an average parish/town precept).

Somerset County Gazette:

Council taxpayers in England in Bands A to D will receive a £150 non-repayable rebate under the Government's Energy Bills Rebate to compensate for huge hikes in energy bills.

(The Government is also funding a £200 discount on energy bills in Great Britain this autumn for domestic electricity customers. This will be paid back automatically over the next five years).

Somerset West and Taunton Council is responsible for services such as council housing, local planning, recycling and refuse collection and leisure facilities.

The county authority, which is responsible for the largest chunk of the council tax demand, is charged with running education, social services, public transport, highways, waste disposal and trading standards.

Both councils are being abolished next year, when they will be replaced by a unitary authority covering the area currently administered by Somerset County Council and the four district councils - SWT, Sedgemoor, Mendip and South Somerset.