Shropshire Star

Council tax to rise in Oswestry by three per cent

Residents have been warned of tough times ahead after Oswestry Town Council agreed to increase its council tax by three per cent.

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Oswestry Town Council

The council, however, opted against a possible five per cent after the higher increase had also been presented to councillors in the draft budget.

It means current tax year band D tax payers will pay a precept bill of £74.24 on top of their Shropshire Council rate, which will rise to £76.54.

Town clerk David Preston warned of a dire future due to financial pressures, with discretionary services likely to be hit.

During a meeting of the finance and purposes committee on Monday, chairman Chris Schofield proposed a three per cent rise to keep the rise as low as possible.

An amendment was put forward by councillor Mike Coppock, to increasing the tax by five per cent, due to the pressures the clerk had warned of.

He also said the council needed to look at extra income streams.

However, the authority voted through the lower three per cent take rise instead.

Discussion

Mayor Sandy Best said that despite the tax rise, there needed to be another discussion next year looking at how the council approached its current financial situation.

She said: “It is three per cent this year, but we need to assess next year with Brexit happening. That needs to be taken into account.

“There is what is happening on the high street, and there will need to be a very, very good discussion next year.”

In the report, Mr Preston highlighted the council was good at getting new revenue streams.

But also said the council needed to look at more ways of bringing in money, stating the capital expenditure for 2019/20 was at £912,000.

He listed areas of risk, which included providing an extension to the town’s cemetery.

Threats to car park income due to new supermarkets, ageing property and maintenance needs on the likes of the guildhall were also highlighted, along with a national decline of markets and the future funding and delivery of CCTV cameras.

Despite the financial warnings, the authority has still committed to providing £12,500 for the Christmas Live event.

A further £40,000 will be provided for Christmas decorations and £15,000 for the Oswestry Balloon Carnival, along with funding for other events and projects.