Cornish parish council decides to abolish tax for a year due to pandemic

Cubert village hall
Cubert Parish Council is the only council in Cornwall to axe tax for the upcoming year Credit: Cubert Neighbourhood Development Plan

A parish council has made the decision to abolish tax for a year to help people cope during the pandemic.

Chairman of Cubert Parish Council Alan Percy revealed plans to axe the entire charge for residents "to assist parishioners at this difficult time".

It is the only council in Cornwall to take this step and Cllr Percy explained how the parish council is able to make this generous gesture.

He said: "It was approximately £50 per household for a D band property and next year we have decided we can afford to give everybody a precept

Alan Percy, chairman of Cubert Parish Council Credit: Cubert Village Hall

holiday so it will be nothing next year.

"The bottom dollar is we believe we have got the money to cover it. Covid has brought us some strange windfalls if you like.

"We have not been able to carry out some of the duties that we wanted to carry out which has brought us some money.

"And we have made some gains, if you like, because some people have become a bit concerned and they have bought more than the usual amount of cemetery plots for instance.

The average increase in charges for town and parish councils in Cornwall is 3.39%, so for a band D property the total average charge for town and parish councils is £138.13.

The council set their budgets in November and unanimously agreed that residents will be charged £0 from April for the 2021/22 period.

Town and parish councils are able to add a charge to council tax bills to pay for the services they provide for the local community but Cllr Percy said the decision to remove tax was popular.

He said: "In the November meeting it was brought as a proposition and agreed unanimously.

"We don’t blow our own trumpets but we know on Facebook it has been mentioned and it was picked up by the newsletter.

"We have had some comments, all favourable but you would expect that to be truthful."

Credit: Richard Whitehouse, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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