Wiltshire Council raises tax to cope with service cuts

WESTBURY Town Council has announced that from April it will have to charge residents 15% more tax in order to try and protect services being cut by Wiltshire Council.

The council agreed this month to raise its precept – the proportion of council tax paid to the town council – to £486,217 for the 2016/17 financial year.

This increase of approximately 15% means that the precept of a Band D property will be £101.38 per year. The change is equivalent to an extra 26p per household per week.

Town clerk Keith Harvey said, “This year the town council had to seriously think about the consequences of Wiltshire Council withdrawing some of the services it previously provided. This not only affects Westbury, but all the other town and parish councils in Wiltshire.

“The town council is being put in a difficult position because Wiltshire Council has said it will not be maintaining public conveniences from the 1st April and if the town does not take them over, they will close.

“In the coming months further discussions will be held with Wiltshire Council regarding the maintenance of flower beds, play areas, car parks, cemeteries and grass cutting.

“We are also in the process of recruiting a couple of employees to carry out tasks around the town such as street cleaning, litter picking, weeding, cutting brambles, and cleaning street signs and bus shelters, as well as general maintenance work as and when required. The ‘town caretakers’ will replace or enhance services currently provided by Wiltshire Council.

“Taking into account the above, together with inflationary increases and allowances for future capital projects, Westbury Town Council requires an increase in the council tax on Band D properties of 26p per week.”

Band D properties are used as a measure of the national average, and some houses will see a bigger or smaller increase.

The full payable council tax will not be announced until all parties have set their precepts – the county council, police force and fire service also rely on income from council tax.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Angus Macpherson, recently proposed a 1.9% rise in the police force’s precept; an extra £3.12 per year for a Band D property.