Corsham Town Council raises taxes by almost six per cent after Wiltshire Council cuts

One of the things it will be spending the extra money on is taking on the Newlands Road public toilets when Wiltshire Council withdraws its funding in April, at a cost of around £20,000 per year.

Chief executive David Martin, said: "Wiltshire Council pulled all the money so the council agreed to take on the toilets from April 1.

"There is no new funding coming with it and we have taken the toilets on a seven-year lease.

"They are the only ones in the town and for visitors in particular to know that they are there and know that they are clean might mean people will stay a little longer."

At a recent meeting the council agreed to raise its precept, the proportion of council tax paid to the town council, to £658,652 for the following financial year.

This increase means that the precept for a Band D property will increase from £136.76 to £144.47, an increase of £7.71 per year and around 64 pence per month.

Mr Martin said: "The town council always gives careful consideration to setting the budget and has to strike a balance between providing the services that local people want and the impact that increasing the budget can have on residents.

"The funding cuts being faced by Wiltshire Council, as demands on its services increase, are really starting to have a local impact. The transfer of public conveniences is the latest example where town councils are taking over services previously provided by Wiltshire Council."

The council has a number of projects and service developments it is planning to start or continue in the coming year, including the Springfield Recreation Ground improvements costing £25,000 and public realm improvements at £20,000.

Mr Martin added: "Also, following Wiltshire Council’s decision to stop paying for town and parish council elections, the town council has included £4,500 in the budget towards the 2017 local elections. A similar amount will need to be put in the 2017/18 budget."