Belfast City Council and Mid and East Antrim (MEA) Borough Council have agreed to increase domestic district rates.

Belfast City Council is set to increase the district rate by 5.44 per cent for 2024/25, meanwhile MEA Council is set to increase its district rate by 9.78 per cent for 2024/25.

In the Belfast City Council district, this means an average weekly increase of:

• £0.35 for a terraced property

• £0.53 for a 3-bed semi-detached property

• £1.18 for a 4-bed detached property

• £0.34 for an apartment

• £8.94 for an office property

• £7.32 for a retail property

Councillor Christina Black, Chair of Belfast City Council's Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, said: "While it has not been possible to avoid an increase in rates again this year, all parties have worked hard to keep this year’s rise as low as possible.

"Like everyone, our council is impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and continued high prices for energy, insurance and other services, but we have delivered significant savings in order to absorb some of those external pressures, while also supporting our own staff who deliver so many key services for our city.

"This increase will allow us to support our council workers with fair pay and also invest in improvements which will make a real difference to citizens. These include the expansion of glass recycling provision, funding towards new and improved pitches for sports clubs and an enhancement of our Christmas events programme to support the retail and hospitality sector.

"We will also continue to prioritise frontline services like dog fouling, street cleaning and community safety to support local communities, businesses and vulnerable people, while also working to fulfil the potential of our city to become a leader in areas like digital innovation and climate change.

"As councillors, we are committed to reducing the financial impact on ratepayers as much as possible - we recognise the pressures many households and businesses face, and will continue to scrutinise council spending and look for new ways to make our services more efficient and financially sustainable."

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Belfast City Council has already delivered:

• £400m investment in council facilities, including £105m in new leisure centres. Projects delivered in 2023/24 included the restoration and expansion of Templemore Baths, a new visitor centre for Belfast City Cemetery, a new public park at Páirc Nua Chollann and the 12km Forth Meadow Community Greenway

• £9m Local Investment Fund

• £28m Belfast Investment Fund

• £4m Social Outcomes Fund

• £18.77m City Centre Investment Fund

• £10m Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund

• £850m Belfast Region City Deal, including £100m for new Belfast Stories visitor attraction.

In the Mid and East Antrim district the domestic rate increase will mean an average weekly increased charge of £1.39 (or £72.03 per year) for homes valued at £110,361.

The non-domestic district rate will increase by 11.86 per cent, meaning an average change of £18 per week per small retail unit or £51 per week for a hospitality premises.

Council's portion of rates amounts to just under 50 per cent of the rates bills received by citizens in Mid and East Antrim, with the remainder set by the Stormont Executive.

At the local level, there's an unforeseen and sudden £1.7 million shortfall in rates income expected for the upcoming year. Additionally, there are projected Council running costs of nearly £12.2 million for the next year, driven by various financial pressures like increased energy bills, higher staff expenses, waste management fees, and vehicle provision and maintenance.

The Council received notice that the rateable income from Kilroot Energy Park, the Borough's biggest ratepayer, will be temporarily decreased by around £1.7 million. This is expected to affect Mid and East Antrim's rate projections for next year by about 2.7 per cent. EPUKI is presently working on the site as part of the broader Kilroot Energy Park masterplan, resulting in a substantial reduction in rates received from Kilroot during this phase.

However, the new Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs) and the Multi-Fuel Combined Heat and Power Facility planned for the site would provide significant rates for Mid and East Antrim soon.

Next year, the budget includes investments to save money in the long run for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. This involves changing staff structures and improving services to make them more efficient and cost-effective.

Additionally, the Council aims to save £6.85 million next year. All spending will face closer scrutiny, with increased accountability and transparency.

A spokesperson for Council said: "It is with deep regret that the rates increase for the year ahead is higher than any of us would want but Council, like so many other public sector bodies, is facing unprecedented financial pressures.

"£6.8m of savings have been identified throughout this incoming financial year, but soaring costs to deliver services and maintain our facilities mean we are in an unenviable position this year of still having to implement this increase to meet the needs of our citizens.

"We are acutely aware of the struggles many people and our businesses are facing within our community and remain focused on doing everything within our power to help and support them, while safeguarding the essential services they rely on."

Upcoming big projects in the Borough include an £80 million investment across Mid and East Antrim from the Belfast Region City Deal, a £7 million investment at Carnfunnock Country Park with the UK Levelling-Up Fund, an £8 million investment at Ecos in Ballymena, purchasing new energy-efficient waste and fleet vehicles for the Council, ongoing upgrades to play parks like the flagship Marine Gardens in Carrickfergus, and the introduction of synthetic sports pitches.