Most Torridge households will pay just over 10p extra a week for services provided by the district council from April.

A council tax increase of three per cent has been agreed by Torridge District Council, despite a call for it to stay at the same level as this year.

It means people in a Band D property will pay £5.67 extra for the 2025/26 year.

This will be added to Devon County Council’s element (which is going up by £85.59),  police and crime commissioner (£13.70), Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service (£5), all of which are rising by five per cent, and the various town and parish councils (7.44 per cent, averaging £6.22).

A suggestion by Cllr Huw Thomas (Green, Bideford East) that council tax should be frozen was supported by just three of his 36 colleagues.

He said the council is sitting on £15 million of reserves which is taxpayers’ money, and many residents he represents are on the minimum wage.

In a couple of years, the council could be abolished following a reorganisation of local government and it has a chance to help people now, he said.

Cllr David Brenton (Lab, Bideford South) said: “Our population is in dire straits. It’s the people on the threshold of benefits, those on the borderline, who need to watch their pennies very carefully.”

But Cllr Teresa Tinsley (Lib Dem, Bideford North) said she supported helping people in hardship, but taxes are there to take from those who could afford it and put into services and  benefit those with the least money.

“If you freeze tax, it benefits those with the most income,” she said.

A support scheme is in place so people in greatest hardship receive up to 75 per cent off their council tax. This is targeted support, the meeting was told.

Councillors also heard that £14 million of reserves is earmarked for projects and for budget stabilisation. Another million pounds is considered ‘general reserves’.

Council leader Ken James (Ind, Milton and Tamarside) said if council tax is frozen, the government would think the authority has enough money and would provide less in its financial settlement next year.

He said a tax freeze would only apply to Torridge’s part of the council tax, which equates to just under £6 a year.

Torridge will be delivering its largest-ever capital investment in 2025/26, with a new ‘operational services centre’ expected to be completed by the end of this year and construction of Appledore’s clean maritime innovation centre set to begin this spring.

Improvements are also being made to leisure and public facilities, including decarbonising Holsworthy Leisure Centre and renovations to the old Bideford Library.

More revenue will come from a 100 per cent premium on council tax on second homes.

And investments and efficiencies  in temporary housing, including increasing its space in its hostels, means that the council’s spending on this sector is expected to have fallen by £300,000 this year.