members agreed to their town hall and finance committee’s recommendation to increase the town hall room hire fees by 50p an hour at Monday’s meeting of Chudleigh Town Council.

For the large rooms it will now be £12 an hour for occasional hirers and £9 for regulars, while charges for the rest room rise to £8.50 for occasionals and £7.50 for regulars – all per hour.

Cemetery charges are up by ten per cent – all the new rates will begin from April 1.

Allotment costs are rising by £1 a plot from October 1.

The council also endorsed the committee’s recommendations to increase staff salaries from April 1 ensuring that the lowest paid council staff get the living wage.