WELLINGTON Town Council looks set to increase its share of the Council Tax bill for the 2022-23 financial year.

The council only takes a small share of the overall Council Tax bill which will fall through residents’ letterboxes in April 2022.

Somerset County Council will take the largest amount with Somerset West and Taunton Council, Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service also getting a slice of the Council Tax cake.

The town council has decided to put its Council Tax bill up by 15 per cent for 2022-23 – which works out at 19p a week extra or about 76p a month for an average Band D household.

Councillors agreed at their latest meeting to support in principle setting a precept of £413,287 for 2022-23 – an increase of nearly £60,000 on 2021-22.

The Band D charge for the town council’s share of the overall Council Tax is set to rise from £66.80 to £76.95.

The precept is the sum required to meet the council’s shortfall between anticipated income and expenditure in the forthcoming year’s budget.

Councillors discussed the budget at a previous informal meeting and so it was not on the agenda at the full council meeting – although it will be officially ratified at the council’s January meeting.

The decision to increase the town’s portion of the charge comes 12 months after the authority decided to freeze it.

A report compiled by town clerk Dave Farrow and deputy responsible finance officer and assistant clerk Alice Kendall, which went before councillors, said: “While the Band D cost provides an average figure for the charge added to Council Tax demands, it is important to understand that lower bands A to C will pay less and higher bands E to H will pay more.

“It should be noted that 74 per cent of households fall within Bands A to C and will therefore pay less than the Band D benchmark.”

Only 12.3 per cent of 7,649 households in Wellington fall within the average Band D bracket.

The budget was not discussed at the latest meeting and was just nodded through – something Cllr Andrew Govier was clearly conscious of with members of the press and public in attendance, and felt some explanation was required.

“We are moving into a time of considerable change with the unitary authority,” he said. “We are likely to be taking on more responsibilities as a council and we will have to ask the people for more money in the precept.

“We need to put the town council in a position to be able to provide services that the town needs.

“This budget is required to cover that change.”