Dear Editor,

Midsomer Norton Town Council has been debating its budget and precept with unusual thoroughness this year. 

The basis of the discussion is that the originally proposed budget implied a 16% increase in the Council’s precept, at a time when people’s living costs are rising all round. Some Councillors wished to reduce Council spending in order to limit this increase in tax, while others thought the projects and services were valuable enough to residents to justify keeping to the original plans despite the cost

Extensive discussion enabled Councillors to see clearly which services and other expenditure could be reduced, and what the Council’s contribution to the community would look like afterwards. Eventually a compromise was hammered out and the precept increase was limited to 8%.

The extended democratic discussion led to the prospect of some uncomfortably rushed final decisions at the meeting on 6th February, so the sensible decision was taken to confirm the precept request to B&NES within their deadline, and to give proper time, with no negative impact to the Council or the community, to dot the final i’s and cross the t’s. All perfectly legal and sensible.

It’s the hard work and dedication of Councillors, which Mr Marwood mentions in his letter (Journal 1st March 2023), that has enabled the Town Council  to continue support for community groups and invest in ambitious capital projects while keeping the precept rise to a minimum; a real achievement!