Great Shelford Parish Council drops 35% tax rise
Instead, there will be a 15% increase
A parish council has backed away from plans to increase its share of the council tax bill by 34 per cent.
Great Shelford Parish Council had said it was considering the increase to help pay for road improvements in order to “act on significant concerns” from people in the village.
However, councillors agreed at a meeting this week (January 17) to use savings to fund part of the project and instead ask for a 15 per cent council tax increase from villagers.
The change means for a Band D household instead of paying a £52.97 increase for the year (£4.41 a month more), households will now pay a £23.67 a year increase towards the parish council (£1.97 a month more).
The council tax bill people receive is made up of contributions towards a number of authorities.
In Cambridgeshire these include Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Cambridgeshire County Council, the district and city councils, parish and town councils, as well as for the police and fire services.
Parish councils are not limited on how much they can increase their share of the council tax bill, unlike most other authorities.
Great Shelford Parish Council’s members agreed to support the lower precept request, but some raised concerns that the authority could not keep ‘raiding’ its savings.
Councillor Lyn Disley said: “Last year we were very aware of the cost of living crisis and we did borrow from general reserves to reduce the council tax level.
“We have been advised that the general reserves level has to be raised, therefore with the best will in the world we cannot keep borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.”
Cllr Disley said the village saw thousands of commuters travel along its roads every day and said without the improvement project the parish council had planned she worried they would lose their community.
She said: “None of the big boys are able to stand up for us. We are the ones who have got 5,000 commuters travelling through, we are the village getting that, and unfortunately as the political system stands we the parish council are the only ones who can start to put a few little protection measures in.
“In all the consultations we have done people have said they are frightened of using the roads, they are frightened of the air they are breathing, they cannot use public transport, and are worried about the pavements. We are trying to respond to everything.”
Cllr Disley said the parish had held multiple consultations in which she said people had supported paying more in council tax to fund the road improvement project planned by the parish council.
However, the chair, Councillor Malcolm Watson, said he was aware that the majority of people in the village did not respond to the consultation.
He said: “My biggest concern is the perception of a 34 per cent increase, that is my big concern.
“People receive their council tax bill and everything else is three, five-per cent increase and we are sticking out there as a sore thumb at 34 per cent.
“Either we explain it, or we need to use some general reserve funds to reduce the amount we use from the precept.”
Councillor Timothy Mann said it kept being raised at audits that the parish general reserves were too low.
Cllr Watson suggested some of the earmarked reserves – money set aside for specific things – could be used.
Cllr Disley raised concerns that the earmarked reserves had already been “raided”.
Cllr Watson suggested that £45,000 was taken from the earmarked savings pot to fund car park improvements at the Memorial Hall and was instead put towards the highways project.
He said the car park improvement work would still be undertaken, but could be done as part of the planned Memorial Hall upgrades project.
He also suggested that £15,000 was taken from the savings put aside for potential land purchases and that money was also put towards the highways project.
Cllr Watson said all of the proposed projects would still be completed, but said this would lower the amount they were asking in council tax.
The parish clerk confirmed using this money for the highways project would mean reducing the council tax increase to 15 per cent, which worked out to a £23,67 a year increase for a Band D household, or £1.97 a month.
Councillors said if the projects they had planned could all still be done then they would support the chair’s proposals.
When the decision was put to a vote the parish council agreed to support the 15 per cent council tax increase.
The council tax information will now be sent to South Cambridgeshire District Council to be confirmed.