Antrim and Newtownabbey councillors will hold a special meeting on Monday evening (10th February) to set domestic and non-domestic rates for the 2025-26 financial year.
It is understood the local authority has been facing the possibility of having to impose an unprecedented rates hike in a bid to tackle rising wage and energy bills and increased National Insurance payments.
However, the council has recently approved a raft of cost-cutting measures in a bid to lessen the impact for householders and businesses in the borough.
Last year, the council struck a rates increase at just under five per cent with 4.97 per cent rise for domestic and non-domestic properties for the 2024/25 financial year 2024/25.
At the six-month point, chief executive Richard Baker said the borough council was “within budget”.
Councillors have been advised recently that public and bank holidays “incur significantly higher operational costs” with employee wages on these days reaching up to triple the standard rate.
As a result, opening hours at leisure centres without golf facilities will be matched to their weekend hours during the next financial year. Ballyearl in Newtownabbey and Allen Park, in Antrim, will remain unchanged.
By decreasing leisure centre opening hours, staffing costs can be reduced from approximately £105,000 to £45,000 with additional savings through energy reduction. New leisure charges were approved.
A reduction in recycling centre hours will see a decrease in staffing costs of £30k and drop in waste which would result in an estimated saving of £40k.
Other reductions which have been approved will include the provision of two rolls per annum of food waste caddy liners which would result in a saving of £70k instead of supply on demand.
A new charge for the council’s bulky waste collection service was also approved recently. The local authority received 16,000 bookings during 2023/24 at a cost of £335k. Currently, bulky collections are free of charge without restrictions.
The hourly rate at the three existing “chargeable” car parks – Railway Street, Antrim, Market Square, Ballyclare and Whiteabbey Village – will rise from 20 pence to 40 pence which would bring in an additional £140k.
Ownership of 11 car parks was transferred to Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council from the Department for Infrastructure in 2015.
An increase in burial and cremation charges for the next financial year has also been approved. It is estimated that income generated from the price rises would be approximately £205,000. A report presented to the Operations Committee previously said the council’s resident cremation rate is the second lowest in the UK.
Almost 1,000 cremations have taken place during the first 12 months at the £6m council-owned crematorium which opened at Doagh Road, Newtownabbey, in June 2023.
A new levy for burials in the borough at weekends and bank holidays is expected to be introduced in April.
Councillors have also approved a rise in the cost of admission to next year’s Enchanted Winter Garden event at Antrim Castle Gardens for non-residents.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is aiming to raise almost £2m through its arts and culture outlets during the 2025/26 financial year.
Facilities managed by the arts and culture section are available for groups and individuals to hire. The proposed new charge will be an average inflationary increase of 2.5 per cent which will apply from April 1. However, charges for council-owned theatres will remain unchanged for 2025/2026.
A review of community facility charges has also taken place. These also have standard and community rates.
An income target of almost £200k for community facility hire and tenancy agreement charges has been included in the draft estimates for the next financial year.
A meeting of elected members at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is also set to take place on Monday evening where councillors will strike the rate for the year ahead.