Residents in Garff could face a rates rise of up to 15 per cent this year after the board discussed its finances for the year ahead.

This week, the local authority met to consider its budget, which included talks about setting the rate for the forthcoming year and approving audited accounts.

Board members engaged in a long debate about how much to put up the rates .

Clerk Martin Royle explained that the rates and budget for the forthcoming financial year had been calculated with an 11 per cent increase.

However, the commissioners discussed whether a rise of 12.5, 14 or 15 per cent would be better for both local residents and the local authority’s coffers.

Commissioner Aishlinn Creer said that for some people, the increase would be ‘a lot’ if the rates went up by 15 per cent - a figure which would equate to an increase of around £80 per household.

That money will be used to fund services such as hedge cutting in the community, refuse collections and maintaining parks and public toilets.

Additional costs that the local authority is dealing with include an increase of waste fees at both the Eastern Civic Amenity Site and Northern Civic Amenity Site (ECAS)

A tender has gone out at the new ECAS and the cost each local authority will be required to pay is set to go up by 6.6 per cent.

Garff Commissioners says the rise would mean the authority would have to pay £51,000 for residents to use the site.