A POTENTIAL council tax increase and members of the Environment Agency talking about the recent flooding are among the items on the agenda of the first full city council meeting of the year. 

It will take place on Monday, January 22, from 6.30pm, at Salisbury Guildhall. 

Councillors will meet to discuss the recent flooding in Salisbury and the Environment Agency will be there to talk about the flooding further as well as answer any questions that the public might have. 

The meeting will also involve setting the City Council’s budget for the forthcoming year which will include the allocation of funds towards the different Council services such as street cleaning and events.

This follows a budget consultation during August and September last year where residents put forward their ideas on what the priorities for the Council should be. 

The budget and precept recommendations were discussed by the council for the first time at a Finance and Governance Committee meeting on Monday, January 15.

Salisbury City Council's precept for 2024/25 has been calculated as £5,642,672 which equates to a precept per band D property of £364 - an increase of £29 or 8.66 per cent.

This is lower than the £39 per year figure that was proposed at the council's draft budget meeting in Salisbury Guildhall on December 6, 2023.

However, around 60 per cent of properties in Salisbury are below band D and actual parish precept levels would vary from £242.66 per annum (band A) to £727.98 per annum (band H).

A link to the agenda and live stream can be found here.