Sutton Bridge councillor blasts ‘injustice’ of drainage board levies in South Holland

A longstanding councillor has blasted South Holland’s drainage board levies as ‘a quarter of a century of injustice’.

Coun Christopher Brewis made the comments as part of his ‘110%’ backing of Coun Paul Redgate to be voted onto a special interest group which will have powers to lobby the Government on this issue.

“I think this is an optimistic move to undo what, in this area, has been a quarter of a century of injustice introduced by the Labour government,” Coun Brewis said at last Wednesday’s full council meeting.

”The reason we collect the drainage precept is all too well known, because it saves them having to send their own bills out to every house.

“It’s the same with county (council) and police and it seems to me a total injustice that needs rectifying.”

Taxpayers have to foot the bill for their drainage boards, after central Government decided to pass the tab on a number of years ago.

This means that more than 50p from every £1 paid to SHDC in council tax is passed straight on, leaving the authority at a disadvantage compared to others who have no drainage board bills.

And last year locals were hit with a double whammy as rising costs saw drainage boards add hundreds of thousands of pounds to their £2.88 million running costs for 2022/23.

The knock-on effect left ratepayers face a 3% rise in the council tax paid to South Holland, and even then the extra £300,000 raised did not cover additional cost.

A £300,000 one-off support payment was provided by the Government, but SHDC don’t expect to see that backing come annually.

“One of our biggest financial pressures for a number of years now and going forward is around drainage boards and the precept,” council leader Nick Worth said, explaining the formation of the Special Interest Group On Internal Drainage Board Levies.

“Last year alone the increase they made was not covered by our council tax, so it is a considerable pressure on us.

“With that in mind we got together with 15 other councils, mainly those in this area around the coastal areas, to to form a special interest group with the Local Government Association.

“That has now been accepted and what that allows us to do is to directly lobby the Government on these precepts and the effects they’ve had on us.”

Coun Redgate was unanimously voted onto the proposed board.

Also at last week’s meeting the council agreed Coun Nanette Chapman would represent the council on the South Holland Internal Drainage Board and Coun Allan Beale taking a seat on the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Council.

Couns Henry Bingham and Jim Astill have stepped down from the roles respectively.

What do you think? Post your thoughts below or email duncan.browne@iliffepublishing.co.uk