Dear Parishioners,
Longdon, Queenhill and Holdfast Parish Council are writing with an important update on your council tax.
Due to rising operating costs and the initiation of several new projects, the parish council find it necessary to increase the ‘precept’ for the upcoming financial year. The precept is the small share of your total council tax bill that parish councils charge their local electors to meet planned expenditure for the upcoming year.
For a ‘band D’ property this will be an increase of approximately £8.75 per year, or 73p per month. Our total precept is £59.55 per year (for ‘band D’) which still compares very favourably with the national average of £85.89.
The decision to increase the precept has not been made lightly, and we have worked hard to manage costs and seek alternative funding sources wherever possible (including over £15,000.00 in grant funding over the last two years). Recent projects include:
- Traffic calming: We have invested significant resources into traffic calming, with additional ‘Speed Indicating Devices’ and gateway features deployed across the parish. Further measures to slow traffic at critical areas are under review.
- Defibrillator: We have increased defibrillator coverage with an additional unit being installed in the south of the parish at Buckbury, to complement the existing unit at the village hall.
- Lengthsman and grass cutting: Additional maintenance work is being undertaken across the parishes by our new ‘Highway Lengthsman’ and grass cutting contractors.
- Village hall: We have taken on formal governance of Longdon Village Hall to ensure its continued success and to safeguard it for the benefit of the community for years to come. The parish council has contributed to a much-needed boiler replacement and new security/locks. Further options for improving the energy efficiency of the building are under review.
- Play area: Additional maintenance of the play area and replacement fencing has been undertaken and there are further projects on the horizon to increase the facilities offered.
We understand that any increase in taxes can be a concern, and we are committed to transparency and accountability in how these funds are used. If you would like any further information on our budget, or any of current or future projects, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Longdon, Queenhill and Holdfast Parish Council