Medway Council Parish Precept Rises

A fascinating table below that will appear in the Budget for next year that shows the precepts calculated by Medway Council.

Many reading in Medway will not be impacted but approximately 25,000 residents will have to pay these increase because they live within one of these parished areas.

Unlike Medway Council which has its Council Tax rates capped it appears some Parishes are happy to continue with above inflationary tax rises at a time the public is suffering.

Some of these Councils are represented by Conservatives who celebrate their bequethed inheritance of low tax on Medway Council but as yet have said little about their own Parish Councils tax and spend policies.

I am a big fan of localism if there are contested and viable elections where opponents and individuals are rightly presenting different visions for their area. I am concerned that many of those parishes with above inflationary tax rises have Councillors that were elected uncontested.

In the 21st century there is a real debate to be had about whether it is right that those elected unopposed have the real right to increase taxes on their population who turn out in such low numbers to elect them.

Parishes need to do a lot more over the next decade