The amount of council tax you will pay in Slough has been set as the council is still in a huge amount of debt and government finance commissioners remain.

Each year, the tax is set at a full meeting of Slough Borough Council, where the budget for the coming financial year is discussed.

Council tax will go up by 8.5 per cent, the maximum amount allowed without holding a local referendum.

Of that, 7.99 per cent will go into paying for council services and 0.51 per cent will be ring-fenced to pay for adult social services, which involves paying for care homes and paid carers.

This is the first budget since the council was taken over by the Conservatives following the 2023 local elections.

Despite an initial promise from the Conservatives to cap the tax increase to 4.99 per cent being floated last December, the amount was revised to 8.5 per cent earlier this year.

READ MORE: Slough council tax revised upwards by Conservative administration 

Dexter Smith, the council leader, blamed the requirement to increase council tax on the previous Labour administration, accusing them of ‘financial incompetence’ following financial audits.

Cllr Smith (Conservative, Colnbrook & Poyle) said: “Given the new information which has come to light, to propose a Council Tax rate of lower than 8.5 per cent would not be financially prudent at this time, and would involve making further cuts to Council services.

“This is the hard but right choice for Slough at this time.”

The decision to increase the tax will have an impact on your finances, as the council aims to reduce debt.

Figures show the council has £2,717 worth of debt per person in the borough, with government commissioners continuing to scrutinise the council’s finances since it declared itself bankrupt in 2021.

READ MORE: REVEALED: the staggering amount of debt Slough Borough Council is in 

Council tax is collected by the borough and the other ‘precepting bodies’ Thames Valley Police, the Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service and parish councils.

Taxes for the police and fire service are set on a county-wide basis, but all add to the sums you pay.

You can see how much the council, police and fire service will take from you in the table below:

Council tax is more expensive for people living in the parishes of Britwell, Wexham, and Colnbrook & Poyle, as each of these places have parish councils which also collect tax.

For the rest of Slough, the total tax figure is unchanged.

You can see the grand total amount of council tax you will pay in the table below:

The parish councils are in charge of maintaining community facilities such as village halls, and are consultees on planning applications.

You can see how much you will have to pay to the parish councils below:

The tax amounts were set at the full council meeting on Thursday, March 7.

Despite the larger-than-normal tax increases imposed since the 2023/24 budget, council tax in Slough is still lower than the amounts paid in Reading Borough.

The maximum amount of tax paid by a Band D household is £2,248.30 in Britwell, which is still £119.17 less than £2,367.47 Band D households pay in Reading.