WINSFORD residents will be paying 14 per cent more on their town council tax this year, following confirmation of the 2017/18 budget.

This is to compensate for a huge reduction in the annual grant paid from Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Councillors voted on the proposed budget at the first town council finance meeting of the year on Monday and agreed on a budget which will see a 14.2 per cent increase in the town council precept.

Based on 8,143 Band D equivalent properties, residents will now pay £45.45 per annum, as opposed to £39.79 last year, an increase of £5.66 per property.

The overall budget for the coming year is £401,672 compared to last year’s £396,063.

But the large precept increase is mainly down to a reduction in the grant paid to the town council from CWAC in the Council Tax Reduction Scheme – £10,537 less than last year and £15,746 less than two years ago.

In his budget summary, council clerk Mark Bailey said:“Although CWAC has continued to maintain the Council Tax Reduction Scheme grant support to local councils, a reduction of nine per cent in year two and a further 13 per cent last year applied due to a reduction in CWAC’s overall grant settlement from central government.

“In 2016/17, this meant that the town council received a grant of £42,149 as opposed to £47,358 in 2015/16. In 2017/18, the council will receive a grant of 31,612.”

Some of the largest changes in the budget include a reduction of £8,000 – from £33,000 to £25,000 – for grants to organisations, as well as a £2,000 increase on public buildings to be spent on the Brunner Guildhall.

The council also set a £91,000 wish list from its capital fund, with a large emphasis on recreational grounds.

The list includes spending £35,000 on refurbishment at the multi-use games area at Wharton Recreation Ground, £6,000 on the entrance of Over Recreation Ground, £15,000 for maintenance of Brunner Guildhall, £25,000 towards High Street parking, and £10,000 towards the town council’s allotments sites.