Parish Council share of Council Tax
| 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
Charge per household (Band D) | £32.28 | £35.51 |
Charge per week | 62p | 68p |
After considerable discussion and very careful monitoring of the Council`s financial position, Council agreed that it was necessary to take the decision to make a small rise in the precept to meet expanding costs. If it had not done this the Parish Council may have had had to reconsider its activities and the services it provides.
The concurrent grant (a grant awarded by Stafford Borough Council to parishes to fund services which would usually be undertaken by the Authority) that is received to help meet the costs of certain services, has also reduced in recent years. In 2008 the Parish Council received £5617 whereas since 2012 it has received £3680, a drop of almost £2000.
The Parish Council is responsible for maintaining many areas and facilities within the parish that come with ongoing maintenance costs. All these increasing costs have to be budgeted for. The Parish Council always looks for funding opportunities and is successful with many of the applications it makes. However, as we all know, the cost of all services has risen and continues to rise. To maintain the standards that we are used to extra funds are required.
The Parish Council feels that we provide excellent value for the precept, when other local Parish Councils charge more than we do for less service provision. Gnosall Parish Council provides many facilities and services and arranges community events during the year to the benefit of its parishioners.
At a time when Stafford Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire Police are making cuts to the services provided, parish councils are finding it necessary to deliver more and every penny the Parish Council receives is allocated to be spent locally on key services for local people.
For many years, the Parish Council has tried to keep its costs to parishioners low but finds it necessary to make a small increase to the precept to meet the financial requirements. The council tax for a Band D property in 2019/20 will be £32.28 per year, a rise of only £3.23 and equates to approximately 68p per week.