The fees which residents and businesses face paying in Three Rivers are set to rise in 2023.

The district council's policy and resources committee will recommend local authority leaders hike charges for a wide range of services to cover their costs – from private hire and taxi licensing to football pitch hire.

Some charges are set to rise by 7% - including if a resident wishes to change their house number, and licences for private hire and taxis, scrap metal, sexual entertainment venues, street trading and animal welfare.

Charges will rise by 10% for services including selected venue and ground hire, filming rates, commercial waste collection, pest control charges, and at cemeteries.

But other services are set to rise by as much as 20%, such as the charge for garden waste collection, from £50 to £60.

Parking charges will stay as they are for now.

Councillors debated a report setting out the new charges at a committee meeting last night (December 5).

The report notes the Liberal Democrat-run council’s net expenditure on day-to-day services has risen by just over £1.1 million since the 2022/23 budget was approved in early 2022. An increase in fees and charges is set to generate an extra £350,00 in 2023/24.

Conservative group leader Ciaran Reed questioned whether the council had its priorities in order and asked why garden waste is set to increase by roughly 20 per cent when other non-essential elements – such as strip clubs – are set to face lower price increases.

Labour leader Steve Cox raised fears taxi drivers may struggle to deal with the rising cost of licence fees in his ward.

Lib Dem Roger Seabourne warned charges could be going up by as much as 40% if it was not receiving "huge" income from properties it had invested in around the country.

Before charges are increased, the proposals must be put to a full council vote, due to take place on December 13.

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