The Government has provided funding so that working age people who claim Council Tax reduction relief can receive additional help.
If you are experiencing financial difficulty as a result of the coronavirus situation, your district or borough council will be able to advise on available support for council tax payments.
For their contact details, please see your council tax bill. You can also find the relevant council by entering your postcode on How to Pay Council Tax.
The County Council continues to focus on the areas which will make the biggest difference to the lives of its residents and the future prosperity of the county.
The County Council is continuing to face challenges following the impact of the global pandemic as well as inflationary pressures. The impact of staff shortages and utility costs have increased pressure on council resources, especially for key services such as adults and children’s social care.
Our Our Council Plan provides the framework for the County Council’s decision making and planning to ensure we are making the very best use of the resources available, understanding the value for money we deliver and, at the same time, remaining focussed on our priority outcomes.
To deliver these priorities and to meet the rising demand for statutory services, the County Council has approved a council tax increase of 1.99 per cent for a general increase and 1.00 per cent for Adult Social Care, giving a total increase of 2.99 per cent for 2022/23. This decision was not taken lightly given the financial hardship faced by residents due to economic impact of the pandemic and rising cost of living, but with continuing low levels of government funding and increasing demand pressures, an increase has been unavoidable.
For 2022/23, the Government has set a reasonableness threshold so local authorities can raise core council tax by up to 2.0 per cent, without holding a local referendum. Additionally, councils with social care responsibilities can increase their council tax by a further 1.0 per cent for adult social care.
The increase of 2.99 per cent reflects these principles with a rise of 1.99 per cent approved for the general increase plus an additional levy of 1.00 per cent for the 'adult social care precept', which the Government introduced in 2016. This part of the increase will support the delivery of existing adult services alongside implementing planned service improvements and developments.
The adult social care precept is calculated on the whole of the West Sussex County Council element from the previous year. The calculation for a band D property is as follows:
Adult social care precept calculation
Adult social care precept calculation: Showing year, previous year's total charge, core increase, adult social care increase, percentage increase and total charge.
| Year |
Previous year's total charge |
Core increase |
Adult social care increase |
Percentage increase |
Total charge |
| 2016/17 |
£1,161.99 |
£22.66 (1.95 per cent) |
£23.24 (2.00 per cent) |
3.95 |
£1,207.89 |
| 2017/18 |
£1,207.89 |
£23.54 (1.95 per cent) |
£24.16 (2.00 per cent) |
3.95 |
£1,255.59 |
| 2018/19 |
£1,255.59 |
£37.08 (2.95 per cent) |
£25.11 (2.00 per cent) |
4.95 |
£1,317.78 |
| 2019/20 |
£1,317.78 |
£39.44 (2.99 per cent) |
£26.35 (2.00 per cent) |
4.99 |
£1,383.57 |
| 2020/21 |
£1,383.57 |
£27.50 (1.99 per cent) |
£27.67 (2.00 per cent) |
3.99 |
£1,438.74 |
| 2021/22 |
£1,438.74 |
£28.66 (1.99 per cent) |
£43.16 (3.00 per cent) |
4.99 |
£1,510.56 |
| 2022/23 |
£1,510.56 |
£30.07 (1.99 per cent) |
£15.11 (1.00 per cent) |
2.99 |
£1,555.74 |
| |
|
|
£184.80 |
|
|
For transparency, and as prescribed by government regulations, the adult social care precept is identified separately on the council tax demand; it is also shown on a cumulative basis. For example, for 2022/23 the total levy applied since 2016 for a band D property, as shown above, would be £184.80.
The charge shown on the leaflet above relates to the West Sussex County Council element of the council tax charge.
In addition to this, there will be charges for your district or borough council, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner and, if applicable, your town and parish council.
A breakdown of the full charge will be available from your district or borough council - please see your council tax bill for their contact details. You can also find out the relevant council by entering your postcode on How to pay Council Tax.
