Prospective Hersden Parish Council precept revealed

Residents living in the area covered by the new Hersden Parish Council are set to pay a precept to the new council for the first time.

The precept, set at £39.89 for a Band D property in Hersden for 2019/2020, is a sum of money collected from every household that is served by a parish or town council as part of the council tax bill and is used to pay for the work they undertake.

In Hersden’s case this will include maintenance of the play area and the BMX track, maintenance of a small number of grass verges, litter picking the park and BMX track and some street furniture like seating.

Parish precepts range from £81.24 proposed for Chartham to £26.04 proposed for Lower Hardres and Nackington.

The figure will be considered by the Policy and Resources Committee at its meeting on 6 February before Full Council makes a final decision on 14 February.

It is the responsibility of officers from Canterbury City Council to set the initial precept for a new parish council  to cover the first year’s running costs.

We have done so in consultation with the area’s existing parish councillors, city councillors and county councillors. The parish council will set its own precept in future years.

Cllr Ben Fitter-Harding, who chaired an all-party working group of councillors as part of the city council’s Community Governance Review, said: “This is an important next step on the journey to give people living in Hersden their own voice as its population grows.

The first precept needs to be a careful balance between generating enough income for the parish council to operate effectively, while not putting too high a financial burden on local people.

“We think we’ve managed to do that with the help of the local community representatives.

“In December lots of people expressed an interest in becoming a parish councillor and we hope they will get their nomination papers in by Wednesday 3 April. 

“If they do, an election will take place alongside the Canterbury City Council election on Thursday 2 May.”

Kent County Council, which provides services such as roads, schools, social services and libraries, are responsible for the biggest slice of the Council Tax collected by the city council. They will charge people living in a Band D property £1,299.42.

Council Tax bills also include charges from the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner to pay for the work of Kent Police (£193.15 for people living in a Band D property) and the Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority to pay for the Kent Fire and Rescue Service (£77.76 for people living in a Band D property.

Canterbury City Council is due to set its Council Tax at £211.32 for those living in a Band D property which is an increase of 2.98% and represents and extra 12p a week or £6.12 a year.

The city council is responsible for services such as housing, waste collection, parking, environmental health, leisure centres, planning applications and licensing.

Published: 4 February 2019