Councillors have agreed to a round table on the Andover Special Expenses Levy and its future following a motion being brought. Cllrs David Coole and Christopher Ecclestone had brought a motion to Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) which asked for the end of the levy, and an apology to the people of the town. In response, Cllr Maureen Flood, the finance portfolio holder for the council, criticised the motion’s proposals as “inappropriate”. Following debate, Cllrs Coole and Ecclestone agreed to withdraw the motion, with all TVBC councillors invited to a round table at a future Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSCOM) meeting.
Test Valley residents will see their council tax increase by £2.50 in the next year – with Andover residents seeing a rise of £1 less than the rest. The cabinet of Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) voted to approve an increase in their council tax from £146.41 to £148.91 for a Band E property for the next year. They also approved a decrease in the Andover Special Expenses Levy, which pays for the maintenance of community assets such as cemeteries and sports grounds, by £1 after removing charges for community halls from the levy. Councillor Maureen Flood said that it had been an “incredibly challenging” year for the council, and that the rise would allow them to protect core services. She said that TVBC had ‘cushioned’ the blow by using its reserves to allow a lower council tax increase.