Shipston Town Council freezes precept for 2017/2018

Shipston Town Council has set its 2017/18 precept at £232,000 - maintaining the same level as the current financial year.  With the addition of new households in the town, there will be a decrease of 1% in the average amount paid per household.

The precept is the town council’s ‘share’ of the overall Council Tax bill, which also includes costs for the district and county councils and police services. Each service is responsible for setting its own budget.

The town council’s budget pays for several services. Shipston benefits from high standards of street cleansing and grass cutting provided by contractors, Lawns2Mow.  New Clark House has become a hub for many organisations in the town, the building provides space for the Local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team, a District Council Access Point, meeting space for over 20 local clubs and organisations, as well as the Clerk’s Office and all town council meetings.  Other council services include emergency planning, allotments, and maintenance of playgrounds and council-owned land. 

Careful budgeting has meant that many voluntary groups in the town have benefitted from the annual community grants, which contribute to the variety of activities and popular events held in the town. 

Town Mayor, Ronnie Murphy, said: “We are delighted to be in a position to freeze the precept while maintaining our community commitments and setting aside funding for major projects such as the resurfacing of the New Street car park. The Finance Working Group have worked extremely hard to ensure that we can continue to deliver a high standard of services to the community.”

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