Council for Banbury area takes flooding into account for new council tax figures

The council approved a council tax base figure of 59,027 for the year 2024-25 at an executive meeting on Monday.

The base rate relates to the number of dwellings in the area that are required to cough up the cash.

Cherwell council was required to legally set a tax base for the following year by January 31 meaning there were “no alternative options” to approving the recommendations.

In order to determine the number of properties in the area, officers split up the Cherwell district by both parish and “Flood Defence Area”.

Adderbury, Bloxham and Bodicote Ward councillor Adam Nell acknowledged the metric with the passing remark: “should anyone be interested in that”, before thanking officers for their “very complicated and detailed set of figures”.

Flood Defence Areas are assessed for the purposes of levies on Oxfordshire County Council by River Thames.

Approval comes as flooding has wreaked havoc in the county off the back of ‘Storm Henk’.