The Parish Council budget and precept.

Starting with the bare facts. The 17.3% amounts to an £18.53 increase for the year or £1.51 a month for a Band D property. While the percentage figure looks large the other two are relatively small yet they are all describing the same increase. This is because the precept figure is small to begin with meaning modest increases can see the percentage figure rise quickly even though the actual sum is small.

In contrast, the County Council increase is 5%. This is an £84.78 increase for the year or £7.07 a month.

The Parish Council’s budget and precept is set by the Full Council on the recommendation of its finance committee. When the finance committee did this work in October 2025 it calculated the increase to be 12.44%. This was recommended to Full Council in January and approved. The reason it has become 17.3% is because the “tax base” has changed.

The “tax base” is the number of households the precept is divided between. When properties are vacant or when households apply for council tax relief the effect is that the cost is spread over fewer households and thus the cost per household goes up. This is what has happened this year. But it does mean that those who are struggling the most with the cost of living are getting the council tax relief that they need.

Where is the money being spent ?

The council produces a document each year that sets out its budget. This can be viewed here. The big regular costs are grass cutting, tree work and staffing. Additionally there are project costs. In 2026/2027 The Parish Council plans to purchase another speed display and to contribute to the traffic calming project in Chrishall Grange. (Chrishall Grange is a small hamlet to the south of the A505 that is in our parish. They pay council tax and precept just like everyone else but in truth receive the least value from the Parish Council.) This traffic calming will make the hamlet safer. On top of this the high inflation from a few years ago is still working its way through the system. Our grass cutting and tree surgeon contractors held their prices for as long as they could but in the end their costs have gone up just with everyone else’s. In 2024 the Clerks working hours were re-evaluated. Over the years the workload has increased as Government has required local councils to do more and more. The old 11hrs/week contract had become outdated with the Clerk working significantly in excess of this. The new 20hrs/week contract is in line with neighbouring parish councils and better reflects the role but of course needs to be paid for. General reserves have been used to spread the impact of this uplift across three years. The increase in employers NI contributions has also impacted staffing costs. Finally, on top of this are the smaller spends that all add up, such as cemetery maintenance, playpark maintenance, small grants to community groups, defibrillator maintenance, street lighting, election costs, in home alarms for the vulnerable and asset maintenance such as benches.

The other significant project is the purchase of the URC Old Chapel. This is being principally financed by the generous endowment given to the Parish Council by Ronald Arthur Ward when he passed away in 2022. The £212,000 has earned £23,559 in interest over the 4 years since (not annually as claimed on social media). Some of the initial money was spent on projects at the cemetery and cleaning the war memorial, leaving £206,799 of the original sum. This money is being used to purchase the Old Chapel which will save the Village Playgroup and provide an additional meeting space in the centre of the village that will complement the Village Hall with its sports facilities and large spaces. The intimacy of the Old Chapel will allow for uses not suited to the Village Hall. When speaking to residents who knew Ronald Arthur Ward when he lived in the village, they spoke of a community-minded man who would want the money spent on something with a lasting legacy. The Parish Council has therefore committed this money to a project that will deliver that legacy rather than banking it which would return relatively small amounts of interest (approx £5,000/year) or using it for multiple relatively insignificant projects.

For clarity, when the URC first gave notice of intent to sell the Old Chapel, the Playgroup contacted the Village Hall about moving there and were told this was not possible. The Parish Council does not run the Village Hall. Here is a link to the Village Hall website.

The rent from the Playgroup will cover the Old Chapel building running costs with some to spare. Other uses and events are planned to make modest surpluses. If anything, the purchase of the Old Chapel will bring the precept down in the future as it begins to generate an income for the Parish Council.

So to loop back to the beginning and the burden of the precept, the total for a band D property in 2026/2027 will be £123.59. This is £10.30/month or £0.34/day. That is 2 pints of beer a month for households that are not receiving council tax relief. The increase is only £1.51 a month

While the 17.3% figure was not what we had anticipated and does rather jump off the page, when one looks into the detail, the precept being charged remains reasonable.

Lastly, while the Parish Council maintains its own Facebook page as a digital noticeboard, it is not a formal method of communication. The Parish Council has no control over either of the Facebook pages “Fowlmere Residents” nor “Fowlmere Community”. There is no guarantee posting on either of those group pages will be seen by the Parish Council.

If you do have questions or would like to make constructive suggestions the council is always willing to listen. Please contact us via this website or by email clerk@fowlmereparishcouncil.gov.uk