WEYMOUTH and Portland has been singled out as having the highest band D council tax bills in the country – but council chiefs have hit back saying the comparison is “flawed”.

A report published today by the TaxPayers’ Alliance says residents under Weymouth & Portland Borough Council pay the highest band D council tax in England at £1,891.

Band D has historically been used as the standard for comparing council tax levels.

But while the data in the report to calculate the total bill for authorities has included charges (precept) from fire and police authorities – plus in the borough’s case Dorset County Council – it has not added any applicable precept from town or parish councils to total bills.

So although the borough may have the highest band D bill in England compared with other authorities before any parish precept is applied, the full national picture of who actually pays the most will not truly be known.

In the borough’s case, the Portland precept would have to be added to the total bill which would bump up the figure for island residents in this band.

Applying this to residents under West Dorset District Council (which ranks 10th on the TaxPayers’ Alliance list with a Band D bill of £1,822) and adding the precept from parish or town councils, some communities end up with a higher band D bill compared to Weymouth and Portland.

Borough council leader Jeff Cant, also the spokesman for Finance and Assets (pictured below), said there was an “obvious anomaly” in comparing Weymouth and Portland’s council tax band D with other councils.

He said in reality, the borough was one of the lowest tax councils in Dorset.

Dorset Echo:

Cllr Cant stressed that to get a real band D comparison, the parish precept must be added to the district (or borough) total.

Cllr Cant added: “The borough has delivered budget reductions of over £11 million a year through rigorous cost and efficiency reviews over the last five years whilst still maintaining services.

“Our loyal and hardworking staff are continuously seeking ways to get more for each tax pound.

“Misguided and statistically flawed attacks make no contribution to helping us to keep this dynamic agenda moving forward.

“The effort we have put into moving to a unitary council in 2019 to open up the opportunity for ever more innovative and cost efficient service delivery shows our determination to continuously evolve to meet the needs of our communities.”

The council tax figures for 2017/18 from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, obtained from government statistical data tables, are at odds with data provided on the councils’ website Dorset for You.

Dorset for You says the band D rate for Weymouth and Portland is actually £1,887. If living on Portland, a further £22 would be added to a band D bill, making a total of £1,909.

Meanwhile, West Dorset District Council has a band D bill of £1,822.

According to Dorset for You, with parish precepts added, Dorchester band D is calculated as £1,915, Sherborne band D is £1,922 and Bridport band D is the highest in the district at £1,926.