Each year, the Parish Council is obliged to consider whether to raise its precept (the sum of money that Parish Councils charge their local electors to meet their budget requirements). Parish Councils are not funded by central or local government, and as such the precept is the primary means of income generation.
At their meeting in October 2023, parish councillors discussed the rate at which the precept for 2024/25 should be set. Members unanimously agreed to raise the level of precept for that year by 10%, or £806 (from £8061 to £8867). The decision to raise the precept by this amount was not an easy one, and parish councillors were genuinely reluctant to add to the financial pressures which residents will already be feeling. Indeed, a number of factors were debated at length before the decision was made. One of these was the fact that - unlike some other parish councils - West Bradford Parish Council does not carry a high level of savings (known as reserves) which it can dip into when times are bad. This situation was made worse by (i) the high rate of inflation over the 12 months to September 2023, calculated at 6.7% on the CPI index and (ii) the fact that capital outlay over the past year or so had been higher than anticipated. For instance, a number of national events had been held, such as the late Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee and the coronation of King Charles III. (There will also be a further national event in June 2024 - to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings - for which funding will be required).
Finally, parish councillors noted that - for each of the 384 Band D (Council Tax) households in the parish - the proposed rise would result in payments increasing by only £1.82 per household for 2024/25, with each household then paying a precept of £23.09.
The Parish Council will continue to work hard for residents over future years. If any resident has concerns at the proposed rise, or would wish to express any views on the increase, please feel free to contact the Clerk at westbradfordps@gmail.com