Council Tax 2008 - "Their hand in your pocket"
Letchworth Parish Council has demanded £600,000 be collected from residents this year (three times last year's demand).
Accordingly there will be about £50 added to a Band D property's Council Tax bill.
However, many residents will be paying quite a bit more. Here is the full run-down for all the Council Tax bands...
| Band A | = | £32.85 |
| Band B | = | £38.32 |
| Band C | = | £43.79 |
| Band D | = | £49.27 |
| Band E | = | £60.22 |
| Band F | = | £71.17 |
| Band G | = | £82.12 |
| Band H | = | £98.54 |
The Parish Council claim their precept "is well within the normal range" (Cllr Barnes at meeting Wed 12th March).
It most definitely is NOT within any range known.
CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) surveyed Council Tax rates and increases this year (2008/9),
and showed in a table of results the average cost of Parish Precept.
These are analysed by as follows:
| | Unitary Councils | £16.52 |
| | English Shires | £30.75 |
| | All England | £18.26 |
| | Wales | £23.48 |
| | England & Wales | £18.57 |
At £49.27, the LGCC precept is two and a half times the All England average and 60% higher than the most expensive group, English Shires.
What normal range are you thinking of, Cllr Barnes?
Weston Super Mare is the biggest Parish/Town council, serving population of 65,000 people, twice the size of Letchworth.
In the eight years they have operated, their precept has never been more than £29.93 for band D, 40% less than Letchworth
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This diagram shows how the Parish precept is rapidly increasing.
The Parish Council (LGCC) cost should be negligible, but is becoming comparable to the running costs of the Police force.
Is that the way you want your tax money allocated?
Remember, the Parish Council does not provide any services - if it disappeared tomorrow you would not notice any difference (except in your pocket).
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