IN response to your article Residents face council tax rise of 20 per cent in the Winsford Guardian.

The council would like to clarify the position regarding this matter as the above headline has caused much confusion, even though the article itself did explain the position.

It should be stated clearly that the 20 per cent quoted only applies to the town council’s element of the overall Council Tax bill, not the overall bill. Therefore, a 20 per cent rise for the town council equates to £7.79 a year. The headline should have made that clear.

Since the article was published there have been many comments regarding a number of factors relating to Council Tax.

It should be pointed out that Winsford Town Council did not spend £900,000 on the Town Park – this was Cheshire West and Chester Council; it does not have any responsibility for the shopping centre, that is CWAC, and it does not receive income based on additional houses built in the town.

The increase in the Winsford Town Council element of the Council Tax will pay for three main things – the ongoing renovation of the Brunner Guildhall to bring it back into use by the public (£40,000), the ongoing maintenance of the Town Park (£15,500) and the cost of the 2019 Town Council elections (£14,025).

These payments will be reviewed for the 2020-2021 Council Tax calculation.

Mark Bailey Town Clerk/finance officer