A resident has written to Knighton Town Council objecting to their increase in council tax

Knighton residents are facing a 57 per cent increase in the town council portion of their council tax this year.

The increase will amount to an additional £46.22 per average household across the year, equivalent to £0.88 per week, though this will vary depending on Council Tax Band. 

It will mean a Band D property will pay £125.56 for the year but this is one small part of a household’s overall Council Tax bill, with the rest set by the Powys County Council.

It came as the town council agreed to ask for a total precept of £168128.61 for 2025/26, but they did make £4540 worth of cuts to their initial draft budget. 

The resident said he objected to the increase on the basis that there was also an increase last year and the cost of living crisis, which was making things difficult for lots of people.

He said there were three main things he had issues with – the expense of the civic centre, which he said he believes is a great burden on the electorate, a grant to the youth group – he questioned how many youngsters attend the group, and the £6,000 the council paid for a bus stop as he believed that was a Powys County Council responsibility.

Town clerk Lorian Craggs Alferoff said she would draft a response to the resident.

She said she will explain that the town council is hoping to increase the bookings of the civic centre in the next year and the hire cost has been increased.

The clerk said she would have to obtain more information about the youth grant, and she would explain that they had received match funding grants for the bus stop and although they are the county council’s responsibility, the town council did not expect the county council to deal with accessibility to bus stops all around the town.