Residents in Hertsmere are set to have another £5 added onto their borough council tax bill for the coming year.

Hertsmere Borough Council is proposing to increase its share of council tax bills by £5, which is the same rise as the last two years.

The council says it has been under "significant financial pressures" due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the proposals, a resident in a Band D property would pay an average of £187.34 in council tax to the borough council for its services for the year 2021/22 - which equates to 51p per day.

The proposed council tax charge will be used to fund services including waste and recycling, planning, housing, parks and open spaces, street cleaning and environmental health, benefits administration and contributions towards police community support officers and the citizens advice bureau.

The tax rise would help fund the council's revenue budget for the upcoming financial year.

Hillingdon Times: Hertsmere Civic OfficesHertsmere Civic Offices

The council's portfolio holder for finance and property, Cllr John Graham, said: "Once again, we have taken a cautious approach to drawing up this budget proposal and continued to build on the good work in recent years as we look to new and innovative ways to generate income and balance our budget given the steep decline in government funding since 2010.

"My thanks to staff at the council for continuing with these efforts at the same time as working so hard to maintain our essential services in recent months during the pandemic.

"We are recommending an increase of £5 for our share of council tax in the budget for this forthcoming financial year. This will be essential to enable us to continue to deliver our existing and growing range of services for Hertsmere’s residents."

Hillingdon Times: Cllr John GrahamCllr John Graham

Between now and February 14, Hertsmere taxpayers have the opportunity to give feedback on the proposed tax increase, by visiting www.hertsmere.gov.uk/budgetconsultation

A final decision will be made by councillors at a full council meeting on February 24.

On top of the proposed tax increase, the council is in line to receive some support from central government for the upcoming financial year.

So far, two new grants for 2021/22 have been confirmed to help support local authorities suffering from funding pressures as a result of the pandemic.

This means there will be a slight increase in general government funding in Hertsmere's 2021/22 financial year which currently represents 24 per cent of its funding compared to 54 per cent in 2010/11.

Hertfordshire County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner will announce decisions around their portion of the council tax bill separately.