Precept Statement to Residents January 2025

Dear residents,

You will soon be receiving your annual Council Tax letter from North Devon Council, setting out the new payments to be made for 2025-2026.

As you may know, about 97% of your payments go to Devon County Council and North Devon Council. The remaining 3%, called a precept, is raised by Ilfracombe Town Council and covers slightly over half of our annual spending.

Setting that precept means striking the right balance between funding services and projects to make our town the best it can be – while making any increases as affordable as possible. Your Council is well aware that these are challenging times for residents and for the town. As a result, it has agreed the following:

For a Band D property in 2025-26, Ilfracombe Town Council’s precept will be £136.59

For a Band D property in 2024-25, Ilfracombe Town Council’s precept was £122.04

This works out to an increase for the coming year of 11.92%

In cash terms for a Band D property, this works out to an extra £1.21 a month, or 28p a week.

The total amount to be raised in 2025-26 by this precept is £529,056.

The total amount raised in 2024-25 by the precept was £433,406.

Full details of the yearly budgets for the periods 2023-24 to 2025-26 are available on the Council’s website, see Agenda and Combined Papers, Full Council, January 13, 2025 by clicking HERE, or by copying and pasting the following into your browser https://ilfracombetowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Agenda-combined-papers-full-council-13th-January-2025-with-addendum.pdf

With staff costs being about two-thirds of the Council’s budget, most of the precept increase is due to the Government’s planned changes in employer National Insurance contributions and the nationally agreed pay awards. At the same time, many of the Council’s running costs – ranging from insurance to electricity – are increasing at rates well above inflation. The budget has also been impacted by the need for equipment replacement in certain areas, such as IT and central heating.

The money raised from the precept is vital for enabling the Council’s teams to continue their work. Increasingly, this means filling the gaps left by other authorities as their own services come under pressure. From street cleaning and clearing overgrown areas to delivering health and wellbeing projects for our community and encouraging local businesses, the needs are varied and growing by the year.

Dan Turton, Mayor of Ilfracombe, said:

“Your Council is doing everything it can to support the town and the people who live here. Whether they’re Councillors, Council staff or volunteers, everyone is playing their part. I know these are difficult times for many, but we have a group of people here who are committed to making things better for everyone.”