SOMERSET residents will see their council tax rise across the board this year – but the rise will not be the same everywhere.

Somerset’s district and borough councils have all set their council tax levels for the next 12 months, following on from the police and crime commissioner, fire authority and the county council over the last two months.

Now all four district councils have set their council tax, giving residents a more accurate idea of how big their bills will be from April onwards.

Council tax is typically paid in ten monthly instalments from April to January, and is made up of different amounts allocated to each of the following public bodies:

Somerset County Council (including adult social care special precept)

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service

Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner

Somerset Rivers Authority (shadow precept from county and district councils)

Your local district council (Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West & Taunton or South Somerset)

Your local town or parish council

Somerset County Council voted on February 20 to approve a 2.99 per cent rise in its council tax, plus a further one per cent solely for adult social care.

This means the Band D (average) rate it will receive will be £1,239.73 a year – or £123.97 per month.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, which set its budget on February 19, fixed its Band D rate at £86.51 – a rise of £2.51 from the previous year, meaning ratepayers will cough up £8.65 a month.

Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner raised its precept by £24 this year, putting it at £217.81 or £21.78 a month for a Band D property.

The Somerset Rivers Authority is currently funded by a shadow precept – meaning its funding is drawn off from the council tax take of Somerset’s county and district councils.

The authority’s board will sits its budget for 2019/20 in Yeovil on Friday morning (March 1), with the rise expected to be £12 a year – or £1.20 per month – for a Band D property.

But while all Somerset residents will pay the same amount for these public services, the remainder of their bill will vary depending on where they live.

Here’s what you can expect to pay in each district:

Mendip – £174.73 per month

Mendip District Council set its budget in Shepton Mallet on Monday evening (February 25).

The district council’s share of the council tax will rise by £5 in 2019/20 to £156.61 for Band D households – a rise of 3.3 per cent.

The council has published a full breakdown of charges for every town and parish council, with an average charge of £47.81 being anticipated.

With these and the other authorities’ figures taking into account, the total annual bill for Band D residents is £1747.34 – or £174.73 per month.

Sedgemoor – £175.11 per month

Sedgemoor District Council set its budget for 2019/20 in Bridgwater on February 20, just an hour or so after the county council had set its budget.

Like their Mendip counterparts, Sedgemoor councillors voted for a £5 rise in their share of council tax – putting their section of a Band D bill at £162.32 a year in 2019/20, a rise of 3.18 per cent.

The district’s town and parish councils will implement an average charge of £44.70 a year – an average rise of 2.69 per cent.

When the tax rates of the other public bodies are added together, Band D residents are facing a total annual bill of £1,751.07 – or £175.11 per month.

Somerset West and Taunton – £174.11 per month

Somerset West and Taunton Council will officially replace Taunton Deane Borough Council and West Somerset Council on April 1.

The shadow full council set its first ever budget in Taunton on February 21, which included moves to harmonise the council tax of the two current districts.

In 2018/19, Taunton Deane’s Band D taxpayers paid £152.88 per month in council tax, while West Somerset residents paid £155.56.

Under the approved budget, residents of both areas will pay £157.88 a year  or £15.79 per month – a rise of 3.27 per cent for Taunton Deane, but only 1.49 per cent for West Somerset.

On top of this, town and parish councils in the new district are predicted to ask for an average of £37.42 a year.

When all the other public bodies are taken into account, Somerset West and Taunton residents are looking at a Band D bill of £1,741.10 – or £174.11 per month.

South Somerset – £180.22 per month

South Somerset was the last district council to approve its budget, which was passed by the full council in Yeovil on Tuesday evening (February 26).

South Somerset’s portion of the council tax will rise to £167.11 a year for Band D properties – a rise of 2.85 per cent.

Town and parish councils in the district are expected to charge an average of £91.05 a year – up by 4.48 per cent on the previous year.

With these and the other authorities’ figures are taken into account, the total annual bill for Band D residents is £1,802.22 – or £180.22 per month.