Your Parish Council Budget for 2026-27

Written by Councillor Nick Gurr

People sometimes ask what the Parish Council does. The answer is many things, from trying to protect the local environment, to managing the many open spaces and community facilities we own – for example the Village Hall, Heathside and Westminster Field. All of this takes time and costs money.

Which brings me to another important responsibility of the Council. Deciding the budget for the next financial year. This affects all of us. Not only does it determine the level of amenities and some of the services we receive, it also impacts each household directly as the funding for the things the Parish Council has to do comes mainly from the District Council – called the Precept. That is paid for from everyone’s Council Tax.

For the financial year that has just ended (25/26) we could not avoid a significant increase in the Precept. This reflected a number of contracts that had to be renewed to maintain public spaces and buildings, the spiralling cost of streetlighting owing to energy price increases and vandalism, and general inflation. Mindful of that, for the financial year beginning in April (26/27) we have done everything we can to keep costs down while maintaining - and in some cases improving - what we provide. And we have achieved that. Our increase from £117.41 to £122.48 per Band D tax paying household is one of the lowest in the Sevenoaks District Council area, just £5.07 over the year, or .0975p per week.

How has this been done? Firstly by going carefully through each item of expenditure line by line to ensure that we are asking Parishioners to fund the bare minimum that we need.

Second, by passing on some of the costs that have been borne by the Parish Council to those directly benefiting. We strongly support activities such as the allotments and football on the recreation fields. But we did not consider it appropriate that these should continue to be heavily subsidised by the Parish Council. So, we have adjusted our costs and charges accordingly.

Third, we have sought to raise more revenue. Last year’s fireworks display was an enormous success and raised a decent amount of money for the Parish. We are hoping to make this year’s event on 1 November even better. The very popular annual St George’s Day event (on Saturday 25 April) and newly instituted Christmas Bazaar and Santa’s Grotto on 5 December are further opportunities to raise some money while giving everyone a good time.

And fourthly, we have challenged some of the significant fixed costs – for example by looking at a different approach to streetlighting (see separate article).

The Parish Councillors do much more than pore over the budget – whether it is commenting on planning applications, arranging community events, reporting fly tipping or organising the annual litter pick (or litter picking themselves). This is all done by people who are unpaid volunteers and, in many cases, have busy day jobs.

So, if you really want to know what the Parish Council does, please come to the monthly meetings, or committee meetings, ask questions and show your support. Or even better, become one yourself. We still have a vacancy!