WITH residents receiving their council tax bill from Cheshire East Council recently, Knutsford Town Council has sought to explain the rise in the element of fee it is responsible for.
The 14.6 per cent rise in the town council precept represents an increase of £6.35 per year for a Band D property – an extra 12p per week.
The Knutsford Town Council precept for the 2017/18 financial year is £286,020, or £49.84 per Band D property.
With a loss of £6,200 in funding from central government, the development of the neighbourhood plan and the installation of new Speed Indication Devices at two entrance roads to the town, councillors voted to raise the precept by £38,912 from last year.
The town council is also putting on Knutsford’s inaugural music festival, supporting the Pumpkin Path and a number of community organisations.
Adam Keppel-Garner, Knutsford Town Council clerk, said: “The town council aims to keep its precept to a minimum whilst delivering the maximum impact for its residents.
“We go through a rigorous process to set our budget and always seek to find efficiencies and minimise costs without reducing the services we provide.”
The Knutsford precept per Band D property is the fourth-lowest of all towns within Cheshire East Council.
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