Rate change is fair, claims Castletown Commissioners chairman

Colin Leather says separating service charge makes sense

The chairman of Castletown Commissioners claims the authority's recent move to a fixed waste charge will result in a fairer system.

Set this year at £135, it'll cost the average household in the town an additional £75.20 a year.

Rates have fallen 14 per cent as a result, to 291 pence in the pound.

Colin Leather says it made sense to separate the refuse service from other charges, to make budgeting simpler and allow the public to see the rising costs 'pushed by government onto local authorities'.

He claims that by isolating the refuse costs, the board can build a clearer financial plan with the rest of the income gathered from rates.

Ten other boards of commissioners across the Island also charge their ratepayers a separate fixed waste charge, including Peel, Garff and Rushen.

Due to the high proportion of older properties in Castletown, the commissioners have claimed the town suffers acutely from the inequity of the rating system.

The lowest rateable value of a property in the ancient capital is £24; the highest is £1,020.

Local Democracy Reporter Ewan Gawne asked Mr Leather whether, overall, residents would be paying more under this change: