Marlborough Town Council could raise its precept by two per cent for the financial year if a recommendation by the finance and policy committee is accepted.

The two per cent is equivalent to about six pence a week on the average council tax bill and is largely down to the withdrawal of support grants by Government.

Part of the reason for the rise is to increase spending on open spaces and provide an events budget. To balance this there has been a reduction on spending for the Town Hall.

Chairman of the finance and policy committee Andy Ross said: “The general principle on the precept that’s been presented is a two per cent rise year on year.

“I feel it is very important to keep the expenses as in the report because we had a very large increase last year and we don’t want to know fall back behind inflation.

“The precept has been crafted to accept the two per cent inflation increase.

“Clearly events is becoming a feature of our affairs, every time we put something on we have cones, road signs and all sorts of paraphernalia and the shift is going from the police and Wiltshire [Council] to Marlborough Town Council.”

Last year the town council raised the precept by 15.49 per cent, explaining that a large rise in 2014/15 would mean there would not need to be another significant hike in the future.

Some councillors wanted to see a larger increase of between three and four per cent because of fears that the Government will cap rises at two per cent in the following financial year.

Mayor Marian Hannaford-Dobson said: “Obviously we’re heading for a time of austerity, particularly for town councils and I think we should build a little into our budget because we simply won’t be able to do it next year, we’ll be capped.”

A decision will be made about the precept for 2015/16, the town council's share of council tax, at the next full council meeting on Monday, December 15.