TAUNTON households are facing an increase of more than 8.5% in the share of their council tax going to the town council.
On Tuesday (January 14), Taunton Town Council agreed its budget, including an 8.77% increase in the authority’s council tax precept – the share of household’s overall bill.
The council said the rise would mean an increase of 50p per week for a Band D household, and 39p per week for Band D properties.
It means the council will have a budget of £6,571,886 for the 2025/26 financial year and members also agreed how it was going to spend parts of it.
Councillor Tom Deakin, leader of the council, said: “As a council, we feel confident that we have struck an important balance with this budget.
“We know that households in Taunton, and across the country, continue to struggle with rising costs, and we were committed to keeping any increase as low as possible.
READ MORE: How your council tax is calculated – and why you might get confused
“We also hear that the services we provide, including our youth funding the support for valuable local organisations through our Grants and Sponsorship scheme makes a real difference to the lives of our residents.
“This relatively modest increase of 39p per week for the majority of our households (Band B) will allow us to continue to deliver improvements to services and facilities across the town, avoiding a real terms reduction as we cover the increases to National Insurance, apprentice pay and a 3% national pay award.”
He said the increase would mean upgrades to public toilets in the town, including in Paul Street, which will come under the control of council teams for cleaning and maintenance.
“It was always our goal to bring these services in house; we have already seen an improvement of standards when we took on toilet cleaning in September 2024,” Cllr Deakin went on.
“The next step is to take on the direct maintenance of our 12 parks and open spaces, starting in April this year.
“This strategy requires investment in premises, machinery and the recruitment of staff, which this budget supports. Achieving this milestone will enable us to deliver outstanding service.”
The footbridge in Goodland Gardens, Taunton, closed in 2023, is set to be replaced. Picture: Google
As well as funding for projects going forward, the council has confirmed it will replace the footbridge over the River Tone which links Goodland Gardens with North Taunton, from current funds.
In 2023, the wooden footbridge was closed by Somerset Council for safety reasons, and eventually removed.
The council said the approved budget will also allow it to:
- Purchase the freehold of the council depot site using what is essentially a mortgage, securing this premises as an investment for the future and eliminating ongoing rental costs.
- Bring the maintenance of our open spaces in house, recruiting staff and purchasing equipment to undertake the work.
- Refresh play equipment: While some funds are already held in reserve for this, this budget allocates a further £150,000 for this purpose. The project is expected to cost between £800,000 – £1 million in total, to spread across the next few years.
- Engage the services of an additional street marshal: Bringing the total to two and doubling the cost to £80,000 per year.
- Make further toilet refurbishments: £350,000, an additional £50,000 budget compared to 2024/25.
- Purchase and refurbish Building 2 at the former bus station site on Castle Way: This houses the Changing Places toilet recently installed by Somerset Council and will pass to Taunton Town Council for the nominal sum of £1. The cost of refurbishment is forecast to be in the region £200,000.
- Commission extra Christmas lights: Extending the coverage across the town centre at an additional cost of £10,000.
- Establish a fund for Capital Projects: An increase of £175K for projects that are to be determined and agreed through the democratic process where need is identified throughout the year.
- Undertake a programme of tree management and replacement: This £70,000 increase will cover the cost of a comprehensive tree survey, and any works required to ensure the safety and security of the trees in the parks.
READ MORE: Click here for more politcial news from your Somerset Leveller
Why do you need a new bridge to a private development when there are already two alternatives within approximately 100m Tod the wooden bridge.
Thought the council were broke and would be better off maintaining the other bridges properly.