By Lucy Phillips
20 April 2011
Parish councils in England are raising their precepts by an average of 2.1% this year, according to figures published today.
Statistics issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government reveal that the average Band D parish precept will increase to £45.88 in 2011/12, up from £44.93 in 2010/11.
While the increase is modest, it contrasts with the majority of larger local authorities in England, which are freezing or reducing their council tax this year.
A council tax freeze was part of the coalition agreement. Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles helped secure it with a £650m incentive fund, which gave the equivalent of a 2.5% increase in council tax to all those authorities that did not increase their levy.
But the freeze and incentive fund did not cover parish councils, typically responsible for village halls, cemeteries, allotments, playgrounds and public footpaths.
Today'sfigures showed 9,187 of England’s 9,963 parishes and charter trustees are changing their precepts in 2011/12, an increase of 52 from the previous year.
Changes vary from a 6.7% increase in the Northeast to a 1% reduction in the East Midlands.
The size of parish councils varies dramatically across the country, with some representing populations of less than 100 people and other tens of thousands. Budgets range from ‘modest sums’ to more than £1m.
Most parishes are in shire districts. There are the greatest number in the Southwest and the least (excluding London which has none) in the Northeast.
In total, local precepts in England will raise £367m in 2011/12, accounting for 1.4% of the total £26.5bn council tax bill.
