Chudleigh Town Council: Precept for 2024/25
After lengthy discussions Chudleigh Town Councillors have taken the decision to increase the precept for 2024/25 to £185,934 from its current level of £170,883. A Band D household in Chudleigh currently pays £2,372.82 in Council tax, of which £93.52 comes to the Town Council. This increase will mean that the Band D property contribution to the Town Council will rise to £98.20 per annum. This equates to an increase of £4.68 per annum or 39 pence per month.
Cllr Rick Webb, the Chair of the Town Council and Mayor, said “In the current economic climate we do realise that any increase in Council Tax bills will be unwelcome. Since 19/20 we have only increased the Town Council’s precept once and have absorbed all the price increases over those five years. However, that could not continue indefinitely. In the early part of next year we will see our utility costs double and have seen our costs increase by close to 10% as the double digit level of inflation we have experienced has impacted on our suppliers. We are also finding that we are needing to pay for things that the higher level authorities used to provide. For example, this year the Town Council has organised and paid for the cutting of roadside verges and the spraying of weeds in urban areas. The cost to the Council was close to £3,000. We also organised and paid for the remarking of the road junction at Bridgelands Bridge because whilst the County Council agreed that it needed doing they did not have the money to pay for it.
This increase in the precept will enable us to continue supporting local community groups. This year we have provided £9,882 in grants to these community groups which allows them to carry on their good works. We will be increasing our room hire charges by £1.50 per hour across the board from 1 April 2024. There will also be a small increase in our cemetery charges”.
He went on to speak about the range of projects that the Town Council was pursuing. “We are very aware of the concerns residents have about speeding and are pursuing the provision of vehicle activated speed sign on Station Hill. We are also arranging for the provision of a bus shelter to serve residents of The Oaks development. These used to be provided and paid for by the Highways authority. However, they can no longer fund such things so the Town Council will need to fund it at a cost of around £15,000. I should also mention that we are currently seeking tenders for the refurbishment of the play parks at Millstream Meadow and Culver Green, both of which are definitely showing their age. We hope that project will be completed in the autumn of 2024”
In 2023/24 the Council Tax charge for a Band D property in Chudleigh was £2,276.71. This consisted of:-
Precept Band ‘D’ charge for 2023/2024
Devon County Council £1419.21
Adult Social Care* £ 214.92
Devon and Cornwall Police & Crime Commissioner £ 261.56
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority £ 96.79
Teignbridge District Council £ 190.71
Chudleigh Town Council £ 93.52
If you require any further information on the Town Council budget for 2024/25 please contact John Carlton, the Town Clerk on 01626 853140 or by email at clerk@chudleigh-tc.gov.uk