South Holland District Council’s bill of nearly £1m over four years for internal drainage boards (IDB) was branded ‘unaffordable’ as its budget for the next financial year was scrutinised.
It includes a proposal to increase council tax by 2.99 per cent, equivalent to £7.01 a year for a band D property.
But the authority’s officer responsible for finance, Christine Marshall, said the figure of £994,00 it has to give to drainage boards is ‘completely unaffordable for an authority of this size’.
“I’m leaving it on the face of the budget so it’s very clear to the government the none of the three authorities I cover have the ability to pay for that,” she told the Performance Monitoring Panel on Tuesday night (January 21). “That’s only the four year pressure.”
A total of £3m had been proposed by government to cover an estimated £10m of associated costs for those authorities affected by drainage boards this year.
It’s not clear how much of that South Holland would receive.
Ms Marshall said previously the rise had cost the authority around £50,000 a year but now it was around £200,000 as she continued to call for the government for drainage boards to be dealt with separately to the portion that goes to the district council.
“It’s very challenging and looking forward, 2026/27 could be particularly challenging.”
Executive for finance Coun Paul Redgate said: “The biggest challenge we face is the IDB. It’s significantly impacting our ability to cover sufficient funds to provide the best service as possible.
“We are lobbying. The £3m doesn’t scratch the surface.
“That number maybe would have been acceptable four years ago but we’re looking at a deficit across the country of £55m.
“The IDBs do great work but it’s impacting the service we provide for our residents.”
Ms Marshall also stated that the council had lost a £750,000 grant for rural areas it previously received from the government.
It had received a £1.3m payment to cover increased costs in National Insurance payments, but that didn’t cover the full cost to the authority.
Coun Andrew Woolf said: “It’s the most negative I’ve felt.
“Ultimately it’s like we have less money but the requirements are larger.
“It’s going in polar opposites.”
Independent councillor Bryan Alcock said: “The government’s thrust is they’re taking away from rural areas and giving it to urban areas.
“Those of us who have been around a few years have seen it in the past.
“It’s a deliberate action and rural areas suffer as a result.
“That, with the IDBs, leaves us in the situation we’re in.”
The future of the authority is uncertain amid proposals for unitary authorities. See – Politicians clash amid reshuffles – The Voice
