Steyning council tax latest

STEYNING Parish Council has set its council tax precept for the new financial year, at Â£138,844.

The figure represents 51.37 for Band D properties '“ an increase of five per cent on last year.

At Monday's parish council meeting, finance and general purposes committee chairman Richard Woodman explained the rise would have been below the rate of inflation, had it not been an election year for the parish council.

"We have been obliged to budget for election expenses. The figure Horsham District Council advises us to charge is 3,000," he said.

Mr Woodman added that the council was also required to include provision for councillor allowances, again because of the potential election, in May.

He said: "This council adopted a policy of not paying councillor allowances, but we thought it unfair and undemocratic to commit any other council to the policy this council had adopted.

"We have included provision for councillor allowances of 1,500 in case the new council fails to adopt this council's policy of not paying such allowances.