CHUDLEIGH town councillors are increasing the precept for next year from its current level of £114,303 to £132,332.

Presently a Band D household in Chudleigh pays £1,686.65 in council tax, of which £71.68 comes to the town council. The increase means the Band D property contribution to the town council will rise to £79.56 per annum equating to an increase of 15p per week.

The town council chairman and mayor Cllr Richard Keeling said: ‘In the current economic climate we realise any increase in council tax bills will be unwelcome.

‘However, this year, we are faced with a difficult situation.

‘Ten years ago we were given a significant sum of money by a developer for the specific purpose of maintaining and developing the public parks at Culver Green, Millstream Meadow and Two Oaks.

‘When the town took the land it also took over significant additional costs in terms of staff time and maintenance.

‘Just these basic costs equated to around £14,000 per annum. Now the developer’s funding is exhausted we need to pay these ongoing costs out of general taxation.

‘We are also faced with cuts in services provided by the district and county councils as their funding from central Government decreases, and it will be important for us to have the financial wherewithal to react when these cuts impact upon our community.

‘For example, this year we have been funding the cutting of roadside verges, something the county council used to fund.

‘We are also finding that the district and county councils are charging us for things that they used to deliver free of charge: we have had to pay for road closures for Remembrance Sunday and the Christmas fair last year when, in the past, they were free.

‘The town council does not have the level of cash reserves to meet a budget deficit so it is vital for us to produce a balanced budget.

‘This can only be done by making this precept increase or cutting expenditure by no longer funding such things as community grants and Christmas lights.

‘We have also committed ourselves to paying all our staff the Living Wage because we believe that is the right thing to do.’

Cllr Keeling went on to explain that the town council had just made grants to five different community groups totalling £3,000.

He said: ‘As a council we feel it is vital that we are able to continue to provide support to community groups next year and we will only be able to do that if we increase the precept.’