Introduction from the Leader of the Council

When residents hear about the range of services they get for their council tax they are often surprised at just how much Shepway delivers for less than £4.50 a week. I think this represents good value for money.

Though it’s Shepway’s role to collect council tax, in fact just 15.7% is for our district services. We pass the remaining 84.3% to Kent County Council, fire and rescue, police and the town and parish councils.

This year the increase for Shepway’s percentage of the bill is 4.7%.That is equivalent to 20p per week for a typical band D home.

We continue to work hard to deliver good value services for our residents. We have improved both street cleaning and recycling - so we are now one of the best in the country. We also work hard to bring in extra funds for the district.European funding has helped us make real improvements to the area.We have also just received almost a quarter of a million pounds from the Big Lottery to improve play facilities in the district.

The long-awaited improvements we have been talking about are now coming to fruition and there is a real sense of regeneration about the district.The new Bouverie Place shopping centre has brought 1,100 jobs to the area. The Coastal Park continues to be a popular spot for visitors and local people with 7,000 people attending our free events at the amphitheatre and bandstand last summer.

I believe that prospects for the district are looking more promising than ever. I hope that local people will share my optimism for the future.

Cllr Robert Bliss, Leader of Shepway District Council

Find out your council tax for 2008-09.