Telford parish council delays tax setting decision amid row

Donnington and Muxton Parish Council was recommended to freeze its council tax take by Labour members but Conservatives wanted to know more about any hidden costs of the position.

The parish council’s total draft budget of around £360,000 has a “cost neutral” item of both expenditure and income of £21,000 to indicate that the post would be filled by an employed member of staff but paid for by way of a grant.

But some members fear the council will have to pay bills on top like National Insurance (NI) and pensions for the posts which will be funded by Energize Shropshire.

Community navigators are part of a scheme to work with the community to help local people get involved in fitness and wellbeing activities.

Councillor Lisa Dugmore (Muxton ward) said: “I don’t want to sign off something that we haven’t discussed.

“There are costs that won’t be covered by this, I am nervous about being pushed into it.”

The clerk told the council that the item is “cost neutral”.

Councillor Richard Overton (Donnington East ward) said: “It’s not going to affect the budget because Energize are funding it.”

He said the Energize post would last for 18 months and would be paid for.

Independent councillor Jenny Urey (Muxton ward) said the item had not been discussed at full council so it “shouldn’t even be in the budget”.

“I haven’t agreed for us to have another staff member. I haven’t agreed to paying NI and pension, I didn’t agree to that,” she said.

But Councillor Thomas Hoof (Donnington West ward) recalled that “we did have a resolution at full council but I voted against it”.

Councillor Ollie Vickers (Labour, Donnington West Ward) said: “It is cost neutral, I don’t know why we’re wasting time here.”

The clerk told the meeting that councillors could delay a decision until they meet again in January.

Councillor Nigel Dugmore (Conservative, Muxton ward) said the delay would give them time to ask the funding organisation “what exactly we are committing to”.

Monday’s meeting had included another item on the agenda where a representative from Energize was set to explain the “merits of the role of a community navigator being employed by the parish council”. But the meeting was told that would not be going ahead.

A divided vote of three against five saw the budget decision deferred but councillors continued the row after the hour-long full council meeting.

Labour councillor Ollie Vickers said: “It is very disappointing that Conservative councillors voted against my proposal to freeze council tax for residents across Donnington and Muxton.”

But Conservative councillor Nigel Dugmore hit back: “It is very typical that Labour councillors are dodgy on the details.”