Nettleham Parish Council Plan 1.5% Tax Increase

Nettleham Parish Council have agreed in principle to increase the tax taken from the local residents of Nettleham by 1.5%.

Councillors met yesterday for their annual budget meeting and discussed a range of programmes and facilities delivered by the authority. Whilst the Council's Clerk had put forward, for the second year running, a balance budget; Councillors agreed to an increase of £1,750 on the current year's precept (that portion of the Council Tax that goes to the Parish Council) of £114,886 to £116,636.

The additional revenue is to be used to 'future proof' the Council's reserves., which currently stand at £105,668. The 2013/14 budget will add £24,250 to the Council's reserves.

Parish Councillor Giles McNeill said:

"I think this is the wrong decision at this time. Whilst we may be back into growth it is too soon to take a decision to tax people more - especially when the money is being put aside for the future. I am pleased to say that I voted against this proposal, and was pleased to see that other colleague joined me in voting against."

Refurbishment Continues at Nettleham Village Hall

The refurbishment of Nettleham Village Hall is continuing apace with the Village Hall Committee agreeing to refurbish the hall's kitchen at their meeting on Monday evening.

Nettleham Village Hall, located near the village centre, on Brookfield Avenue, has already seen a substantial improvement with the completion of the new £85,000 pitched roof being jointly funded by Nettleham Parish Council and The Village Hall Committee. Disabled toilet facilities have been introduced and the ladies and gentleman toilets in the foyer have been refurbished too.


In the Lounge, windows have been replaced with double glazing and a new ceiling with better lighting has been put in place, paid for by funds from West Lindsey District Council's Councillor Initiative Fund and money available to County Councillors to spend in their divisions from Lincolnshire County Council. A further significant improvement has been replacing the interconnecting, concertina door which separated the Lounge from the Hall with a new solid, dividing door mechanism. This has reduced noise transmission between the two rooms allowing both spaces to be rented out to different clients concurrently.

New Year's Message

Nettleham Parish Councillor, Giles McNeill, writes:

"Firstly let me begin with wishing you a Happy New Year.

"Recent years have been tough; tough on all of us. It is my hope that 2012 will be the year we turn the corner and get back to something like ‘business-as-usual’; even if it is somewhat anaemic.

"There is plenty to look forward to: I’m sure our community will rally together for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, already events are being planned, and I suspect in my own street we will be having a street party. The Olympic touch will pass through West Lindsey at Saxilby on its way to London 2012 games. I feel there is a lot to be optimistic about.

"In 2011 I began a four-year term as a Governor of Nettleham Infants School, already I have had a hand in making changes for the better, new provision of hot meals in the school should greatly improve the quality and dining experience of local children – gone are the plastic trays and real crockery and cutlery will be the order of the day. I expect there to be big changes in the school in 2012 and beyond.

"Serving on Nettleham Parish Council, I continue with my calls to keep local taxes low. It is my understanding that the Parish Council will be taking an extra £3.05 in tax from the average Band D property in 2012; pushing the Parish Council’s component up to £88.21 for the average household, I am also saddened that the lowest paying band, Band A, will this year pass the level the average Band D were paying when I joined the Parish Council in 2006. The increase in the tax households are pay to the Parish Council represents a massive 52.4% since 2006. I am convinced that once again Nettleham Parish Council will be out of step with other local authorities – the district & county councils – who will keep their portions of the Council Tax frozen. There are of course reasons why they can do this, support form the Conservative-led coalition government means that an increase of 2.5% or less is absorbed by the Department of Communities and Local Government. Nettleham Parish Council can not qualify for this funding; nevertheless the increase is greater than 2.5%. In a poll conducted on this blog, 58% of respondents said that raising the Parish Council’s portion of the council tax was the wrong decision.

"As Chairman of the Mulsanne Park Users Committee I have watched with interest, over the boundary hedge, in recent months, the earthworks being undertaken at the new Lodge Lane home of Lincoln Rugby Club. The earthworks appear complete and seed will no doubt be planted in the spring.

"Politically, with the change at West Lindsey District Council to elections every four years, I was expecting 2012 to be a quieter year. However, across the county, we will all be back to polling stations on Thursday, 15th November to elect Lincolnshire’s first Police and Crime Commissioner. Coming from a family of Policemen – father, grandfather, great-grandfather – I was surprised by this in the Conservative Party’s 2010 manifesto. I think there are potentially great benefits to having a directly elected person responsible for policing locally – Ken Livingston and Boris Johnson (the Mayors of London) have to some extent proved this, but the supporting role of interrogative committees, consisting solely of councillors from local authorities, seems a regressive step, back to the post-war era of the 1950s.
"I wish each and all health, prosperity and happiness for the coming year."

Anger at Parish Council's 14% Council Tax Hike

Local residents of Nettleham have been reacting angrily to the arrival on their doormats of Council Tax bills showing 14% increases in the portion of Council Tax taken by Nettleham Parish Council. One local resident described their reaction as 'astonishment'.

Whilst other local authorities that cover Nettleham, such as the Police Authority, and the Conservative-controlled County and District Councils, have managed to freeze their portions of the Council Tax.

Another local resident enquired:

"I wonder if you could explain to me why Nettleham have a 14% increase in the Parish precept this year after an 8% rise last year? It does seem an unusual increase, considering the austerity measures being taken by district Council."

The 8% rise last year was not an increase in the amount of precept requested from by the Parish Council (full explanation here). In the Spring 2011 edition of the Nettleham News the Parish Clerk, explains that:

"This represents an increase of less than £9 per annum per household (1,570 households). This increase is due to the loan repayments for the re-roofing of the village hall, the removal by West Lindsey District Council of the ‘per capita’ subsidy (£3,021), Parish Elections costs (£2,000) due to WLDC decision to implement Whole Council Elections in 2011 (despite the fact that Nettleham held parish elections in 2010), the Parish Council’s decision to set aside an additional allocation to project reserves of £3,500 and necessary inflationary increases on utilities."

This explanation, whilst not inaccurate, does attempt to muddy the waters. Most people care about the percentage increase in the bill not the specifics in cash terms and a decision was taken to omit the '14%' figure from the release to the Nettleham News. Secondly, the per capita subsidy had been introduced many years ago to ameliorate the fact that Gainsborough did not have it's own Town Council. This changed in 1993 when Gainsborough Town Council was established. There is broad cross-party agreement that at that time the per capita subsidy had come to the end of it's natural life and should have finished. Thirdly, since 2005 the Parish Council has precepted £2,800 for Election costs, yet has only spent £404 on election costs in the same period. The £2,000 put into the 2011/12 budget could have been taken from reserves and the £2,396 which has been accumulated has gone into the general reserves. At the start of February the Parish Council's General Reserve stood at £29,934 and had £74,935 in Capital Reserves.

A significant number of incumbent councillors voted, earlier in the year, to approach West Lindsey District Council and extend their term of office to five years. Whilst other councillors took the principled view that election should not be avoided.

Nettleham Parish Councillor, Giles McNeill said:

"I understand local people's anger. I am proud to say that I opposed the budget for 2011/12. I also put forward my own proposals which would have achieved all the aims my colleagues identified - such as re-roofing the Village Hall - and would have led to a slight reduction in your Council Tax bill.

"Some of my colleagues it seems just don't get finance; in the 2010/11 budget I managed to ensure that we didn't put tax up any more to cover the cost of the burial ground and at our last meeting I was vindicated as the figures showed for the year to date the site had generated income.

"I have long felt that a number of my colleagues are profligate with public money and have a 'the village can afford it attitude'.  But I think of the little old lady, living on her state pension, alone, having to find extra money, I know that is wrong.  Many residents would no-doubt be shocked to learn that the Parish Council often has a surplus at the end of the year. This year a surplus of £5,600 (5.5%) is expected.

"I hope that if there is a contested Parish Council election this year people will take it seriously and consider what they really want from the people who serve the local community on Nettleham Parish Council."

When Is An 8% Increase Not An 8% Increase?

Related content: 'Nettleham Parish Council Budget 2010/11' and 'Nettleham Parish Council Agree Tax Freeze'.

On Wednesday evening at the Nettleham Parish Council meeting held at the Mulsanne Park Pavillion a member of the public enquired as to how the comments made by Cllr. Giles McNeill, on behalf of the Parish Council, in the most recent winter edition of Nettleham News that:

"The Parish Council met towards the end of October and provisionally agreed to freeze the level of tax charged through West Lindsey District Council to local residents, known as the precept."

Could be reconciled with Council Tax bills issued by West Lindsey District Council that show an increase in the Parish Precept of 8% for the average Band D property.

The article continued and talked about the reduction in two subsidies, one for the operating costs of the burial ground, the other known as the 'per capita subsidy' which has traditionally been £2 per elector.

Under the Local Government Act 1972 s.150 the Parish Council raises most of its income through a separate chargeable levy on the parish, known as the precept, issued to the council responsible for collection of local government taxes, locally that falls to West Lindsey District Council. A parish council is a local precepting authority and may issue a precept each financial year.

The member of the public was correct that thier Council Tax bill from West Lindsey District Council shows an 8% increase in the level of Parish Precept charged as a component of the Council Tax to local residents. £74.01 in 2010/11 which is an increase on the previous year from £68.52 in 2009/10.

In the current financial year, 2009/10, the parish council has received £101,243 as precept income. This comprised of £90,358 as precept collected through the Council Tax, £4,967 as burial ground subsidy, £100 as the automatic base per capita subsidy - all parish and town councils currently recieve £100 - together with £5,818 being £2 per elector within the parish.

The figure quoted in the booklet, which accompanied Council Tax bills, for 2010/11 shows a precept of £98,222 collected through the Council Tax, but excludes £100 as the automatic base per capita subsidy together with £2,921 being £1 per elector within the parish, which is collected through the council tax, but found from West Lindsey's part of the Council Tax. The total being a precept requirement of Nettleham Parish Council of £101,243 the identical amount as the current year.

The increase shown on Council Tax bills is therefore not an increase in the amount of money precepted by Nettleham Parish Council but in fact is caused because revenue that used to be collected through the District Council's portion is now being accounted for through the Parish Council's portion of the Council Tax.

Cllr. McNeill has said:

"I apologise if this was not clear; the term 'freeze' applied to the level of precept income received and not the level of taxation charged to residents."

District and Parish Councillor Cllr. Alf Frith, Liberal Democrat (Nettleham Ward) noted at the meeting that the per capita subsidy had been introduced many years ago to ameliorate the fact that Gainsborough did not have it's own Town Council, which changed in 1993 when Gainsborough Town Council was established. Cllr. Frith also noted that at that time the per capita subsidy had come to the end of it's natural life and should have finished.

A senior official at West Lindsey District Council has indicated that:

"I know of no other authority in the country that has a per capita subsidy like this."

Nettleham Parish Council's Cemetary Fee Fixed in 2010/11

In the course of considering the precept – that part of the council tax that goes to the parish – for 2010/11 (which has been set at £101,243, the same figure as in the current year), and in particular the removal of a subsidy by West Lindsey District Council on the costs of the Burial Ground, the Parish Council has considered differential fees charged to residents and non-residents, and whether the burial ground should in the future only be for residents only.

It has been agreed that there will be no change to the existing burial ground fees system of charging, and that people from outside the village can continue to be buried in the village, although reduced rates will apply for Nettleham residents. As the parish goes through a transition between the old subsidised system to the parish being more responsible it was agreed that for next year any shortfall would be found from the Parish Council’s reserves.

A Burial Ground Appeals Committee has been set up consisting of Cllr. Mrs. Val Darbyshire and Cllr. Giles McNeill, to deal with any disputes about residency. Cllr. McNeill said:

"I think that people want to know that a fair system operates: in the future residents of Nettleham may have to subsidise costs of the burial ground, although it is my hope that this will not be the case.

"Local people will want to be assured that decisions, on these sensitive matters, are being taken by people and not coldly assessed by an inflexible set of rules or guidelines."

Giles McNeill’s New Year’s Message

Earlier in the year I was pleased that Conservative led administration at West Lindsey District Council introduced the new ‘triple bin system’ which seems to be working well – delivering on our election promise in the 2008 local elections to provide a free green bin to every household that wants one. The three-bin system helps to reduce the amount of rubbish that goes to landfill which is really good. Some local residents contacted me about having been charged the annual fee for the green bin shortly before they became free, I raised this with colleagues on the district council and the Conservatives have acted to ensure that a refund system is now in place.

The recent flooding in the North of England has brought back memories of the flooding that Nettleham suffered in the summer of 2007 and then again in January 2008. I have been working with colleagues at all levels to ensure that this threat is properly assessed and where possible mitigated. A few days before Christmas I and other members of the Parish Council met with two representatives of the Environment Agency to discuss our concerns about increased risk of flooding in the village. The meeting was very productive and has offered a number of reassurances and new avenues to follow-up. Highway drains are also now being cleaned more regularly.

The biggest issue of 2009 was the proposals of Lincoln Rugby Football Club to move their training ground to the village. The two public meetings held by the Parish Council demonstrated how much strong feeling there is in the village. I believe that there was little to object to on planning grounds in the Rugby Club’s planning application. West Lindsey District Council’s planning department has entered the spotlight in recent months with several stories related to planning in the Lincolnshire Echo. A number of problems have been identified and are now being put right. A new departmental manager is being recruited and I am optimistic that the service will be greatly improved in 2010 and beyond.

2010 is going to bring significant challenges. There will be cuts in public spending regardless of which party wins the general election. It is a testament to many long evenings spent pouring over the figures, that I was able to secure, at the current level, the precept – the money collected through Council Tax that goes to the Parish Council – so no increase on the 2008/09 budget.

I am constantly encouraged by the strong community spirit in Nettleham. For my part I will continue to do my best on behalf of local residents in the months ahead.

Wishing you the best for the New Year,

Giles McNeill
Nettleham Parish Councillor

West Lindsey's Council Tax Rise Less Than 1%

Next year's Council Tax increase from West Lindsey District Council will be less than 1%. That is the pledge from the ruling Conservative Group made by Acting Leader of the authority, Cllr. Adam Duguid, Conservative (Market Rasen Ward), following consultation meetings with local residents.

"We have spoken to householders who told us quite clearly that their budgets were under pressure in these difficult economic times and they wanted the lowest level of increase we could reasonably levy.

"Bearing this in mind, we have looked long and hard at our figures and because we made some difficult decisions last year we are now in a position where having an increase of less than 1% is sensible and will not lead to a reduction in key services or to massive cuts,"

Cllr. Duguid said that the foundations had now been laid for low council tax increases for the foreseeable future, but this did not mean that new projects and improvements would not be carried out.

"We set our priorities in August to do all we could to be a prosperous district and grow the economy in these difficult economic times.

"Our plans to build a swimming pool in Market Rasen remain on track and the project to make £3 million worth of improvements to Gainsborough town centre - funded by the Council and many other partners - will start on January 11th."

The meeting of West Lindsey District Council that will set the level of Council Tax is scheduled to take place on March 7 2010.

Residents in Nettleham will also be helped during the recession as Nettleham Parish Council has frozen the parish's precept - that part of the Council Tax raised for Nettleham Parish Council.

Leader of Lincolnshire Council Council, Cllr. Martin Hill OBE, Conservative (Folkingham Rural Division), recently has said:

"At the county council, we are preparing for substantial cuts in government funding, as the economic outlook for all local councils in England is the bleakest in decades."

It is expected that the increase in the proportion of the Council Tax collected for the county council will be around 2.5%.

Parish Council's Tax Freeze Remains Solid.

Update to Nettleham Parish Council Agree Tax Freeze.
Related Article: Nettleham Parish Council Budget 2010/11.

Despite signs that the Freeze in the monies raised by the Parish Council through the Precept was cracking and melting under the heat and pressure of the loss of subsidy to the Burial Ground, nevertheless the Freeze has held firm and solid.

Tonight Nettleham Parish Council met at Mulsanne Park Pavilion for our November meeting. One of the key items to appear on the evening's agenda was item 11 - Burial Ground Matters - at out Budget Meeting at the end of October the Parish Council had agreed to look at the fees charged for burials and interments of cremated remains at the Burial Ground which following the withdrawal of a subsidy from the district council meant that the parish council needed to find several thousand pounds to cover the loss of this income stream.

I was concerned that one of the options presented to the councillors was to effectively increase the contribution made by taxpayers to the Parish Council by a 1.39%. In hard times, when people are facing the pinch of the recession, and inflation (RPI Measure) running at minus 1.4% that could represent a real terms increase of 2.79%. An alternative was to increase burial and interment fees by 50%

Fortunately the Parish Council felt convinced by figures I presented which supported keeping the fees at the current levels. Further, based on the figures for the first half of the current financial year, and the cuts made to the budget to run the burial ground I firmly believe we will be able to provide the burial ground service at no cost to local taxpayers in the future.

Nettleham Parish Council Budget 2010/11

Nettleham Parish Council met on the evening of Wednesday, 28th October 2009 in the Small Hall at the Old School, Mill Hill, Nettleham to discuss and agree a budget for the financial year 2010/11. In attendance were Deputy Chairman, Cllr. Mrs. J. Clayton (in the chair), Cllr. Mrs. V. Darbyshire, Cllr. J. Downs, Cllr. J. Evans, Cllr. J. Hill, Cllr. M. Leaning, Cllr. G. McNeill and Cllr. M. Spencer. Cllr. M. Davidson, Cllr. A. Frith, Cllr. R. Sellers and Chairman, Cllr. T. Williams were all absent. Mr. R. Buttery, the Parish Council's Hon. Financial Adviser and Mrs. J. Finn, the Clerk (taking minutes) were in attendance, together with Mr. I. Gerrard, the Facilities Manager and two members of the public.

A proposed budget is submitted to councillors from the Parish Office with input from the Property Committee and other sources.

The Parish Council's budget covers areas as diverse as administration, the cost of elections, donations to local organisations, income from bequests to the parish, performing rights licences, management of village facilities such as the Old School, the burial ground & Mulsanne Park, tree planting & maintenance, allotments, village beautification - such as floral displays, grass cutting and the beck - village benches, maintenance of the church clock, play equipment & other capital investment projects and field paths.

Under he Local Government Act 1972 s.150 the Parish Council raises most of its income through a separate chargeable levy on the parish, known as the precept, issued to the council responsible for collection of local government taxes, locally that falls to West Lindsey District Council. A parish council is a local precepting authority and may issue a precept each financial year. It is therefore vitally important for councils to prepare accurate budgets. To this end, in recent years, Nettleham Parish Council have engaged the service of a Financial Advisor and are rigorous in having quarterly Financial Monitoring Reports presented. Other income is made through service charges, rents and grants for services undertaken by the Parish Council on behalf of other authorities.

On the whole the budget represented a 'steady as she goes' approach. Most budget cost codes being carried forward with some minor adjustments. The main changes centred on increased staff costs, primarily due to an ever increasing work load on the Council's officers. At the current stage the Parish Council has agreed to finance cost of the burial ground from charges to service users. This has come about due to the loss of the burial ground subsidy from West Lindsey District Council. The Council has also decided that a security guard will be provided at Mulsanne Park for occasional sweeps of the site to try and reduce incidents of vandalism. The Parish Council also agreed to put aside £3,500 into the major projects reserve, £1,000 for the Old School, £4,500 for Mulsanne Park and £3,000 for Bill Bailey's Memorial Field. So despite of the problems of the recession, reduced revenue streams from West Lindsey District Council (loss of the Burial Ground Subsidy and a reduction in the Per Capita Subsidy) the Parish Council nevertheless resolved to freeze the precept level. Whilst still substantially increasing capital investment by £4,500 and increasing and improving on services delivered. None of this can be made possible without the dedication shown by the members of the council and the staff who work particularly hard to deliver high quality service.

Nettleham Parish Council Agree Tax Freeze

Yesterday evening Nettleham Parish Council met for our annual Budget Meeting where the full council considers the council's budgetary arrangements for the coming year.

The good news for local taxpayers is that the council agreed to freeze the level at £101,243. A figure that represents quite an achievement in the light of the reduction in subsidy from West Lindsey District Council through the 'Per Capita' scheme - being cut in half this year, and lost totally in the year thereafter - and the ending of the burial ground subsidy.

I had proposed a small cut in the level of the precept to £100,850 but this was not supported by the other members of the council.

In the end Cllrs. Leaning, Evans, Hill, Darbyshire, Downs, Clayton and Spencer voted in favour. Cllr. McNeill voted against.

Cllr. Giles McNeill said:

"I would have liked to have reduced the precept - that part of the Council Tax that goes to the parish council - as a way of demonstrating that in these hard times of recession and deflation the council is firmly in step with local residents. I think that the freeze is not a bad result for local people.