FROME Town Council has approved the work programme and budget for 2023/2024, which is to be set at £2,095,479, with a 4.9% rise in the precept. The precept is the amount of Council Tax which households pay to Frome Town Council for the services they provide.
At the full town council meeting on Wednesday 18th January, councillors unanimously voted to support the new work programme and budget, which includes a precept of £1,983,504.
This equates to an increase of 19p a week on the current year for Band D properties, although roughly 76 percent of households in Frome will pay less, being in Bands A – C. In addition, approximately 28 percent of the total, approximately 13,000 households in Frome, pay a reduced amount of Council Tax through single occupancy or student discounts and/or are receiving benefits.
Councillors also agreed to support the 2023/24 work programme with £39,000 from the General Reserve. They say that this will keep the precept demand and the amount residents pay through their Council Tax to Frome Town Council to the lowest possible figure, while maintaining an ambitious and supportive work programme for the town.
The budget will be used to deliver the work programme which focuses on; reducing poverty, protecting community assets such as the football club, respond to the climate emergency, nurture green spaces, invigorate town centre, approve planning and deliver affordable housing, and agree a unitary deal with the new Somerset Council in April.
Discussing the proposed budget prior to the vote, leader of Frome Town Council, cllr Anita Collier said, “This proposed budget enables us to deliver the work programme and will allow us to address urgent challenges facing our community. This year, much of that budget will be spent on supporting our work on reducing poverty. There will still be substantial amounts that can be applied for.
“The precept is proposed to be set at a 4.9% increase, which is far below the current levels of inflation and whilst being ambitious and responding to these challenges, we have cut back on other areas in order to keep this increase as small as we possibly can.”
Sharing the draft work plan at the town council meeting, Frome Town Council clerk Paul Wynne said, “The work plan is flexible, we can review the process as new things come up and add things, or remove them. This is not set in stone for the next 12 months.”