At Warwick District Council’s Full Council meeting held on Wednesday 26 February, Councillors unanimously voted to reset the district’s Council Tax contribution in order to fund a Climate Emergency Action Programme, therefore requiring a referendum to be held.
At the Referendum which will take place on Thursday 7 May the local electorate will be given the opportunity to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to a 34.2% rise in Warwick District Council’s share of Council Tax. This will amount to an increase of £57 per year per household (for a Band D property) to £223.86. £52 of this increase will put into a £3m annual ‘ring-fenced’ Climate Action Fund with the remaining £5 going towards the Council’s other services (which include housing, refuse and recycling, street cleaning, parks and open spaces).
Mark Tyler from the Centre for Sustainable Energy has calculated that if every English council voted for this then this is the amount of revenue it would generate.