Brading residents will have to pay more for services to help keep everything running, the town’s mayor has said.
Mayor Christine Johnson has said Brading Town Council expects to get less from County Hall in the 2025/26 tax year so something has to be done and, as a result, the precept will go up next April.
She told a meeting at the New Town Hall last Thursday:
“We haven’t raised the precept for some years. I know it’s a very bad year.
“I’m sorry it’ll have to go up but there’s not a lot we can do about it if you want services here to run properly.”
Services Brading Town Council is responsible for include allotments, the management of Beechgrove play area, Bully’s Hill Quarry, Butterfly Walk, the Brading Station and Visitor Centre and the awarding of grants, according to its website.
The authority is also in charge of public toilets in the town’s car park and specific street furniture such as bins, benches and noticeboards.
Town clerk Sue Harbour said:
“When the budget was proposed last year for this year, it worked out on a tax base of 781.10.
“But shortly after that was calculated and submitted to the Isle of Wight Council, a letter came in with confirmation that the final tax base was 777.90.
“So there was a reduction of 5.2 on the previous year. It does put the precept up to a maximum of two percent.”
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Brading Town Council’s tax base for 2023/24 was 783.10.
What an utter load of rubbish.
The Isladnd is 1 place, Council Tax should be the same
whether living in Brading, Yarmouth or Seaview etc.
1 standard rate should be charged islandwide, any excuse
to sting people.
Way to go. I bet they’ll be chuffed about that!
There is not one valid reason to raise the precept other than to allow a bunch little town councillors to spend more money on vanity projects than no one other than said councillors want.