BEVERLEY – All eyes are on Beverley Town Council as councillors prepare to set the town precept for the coming financial year, with another increase expected for households across the town. For residents already facing higher living costs, the town council element of the council tax bill has become a growing point of concern, not least because of the scale of recent increases.
Over a four-year period, the town council’s Band D charge has risen from £44.87 in 2021–22 to £63.08 in 2024–25. This represents a cash increase of £18.21 per household per year, equivalent to a rise of just over 40 per cent across that period. The single largest increase came between 2023–24 and 2024–25, when the Band D charge rose from £47.06 to £63.08, an increase of £16.02 in one year alone, or around 34 per cent.
The council’s total precept income has risen in parallel. In 2023–24, the precept stood at £292,693. By 2024–25, this had increased to £394,596, an uplift of £101,903 in a single year. This increase was driven partly by the higher Band D charge and partly by growth in the tax base, but the result is that the town council is now drawing close to £400,000 a year directly from council tax payers.
At the same time, the council’s financial reserves have reduced sharply. Total reserves stood at £710,374 in 2021–22. By 2024–25, this figure had fallen to £336,866, a reduction of £373,508 over the period. In practical terms, this means that more than half of the council’s reserve buffer has been used within just a few years.
A significant contributor to this reduction has been capital spending on the troubled Town Hall project. Budget papers show a capital purchase cost of £235,000 for the building, alongside £9,541 in purchase-related disbursements and a further £1,078 spent on surveys and scoping work. Ongoing running costs have also been budgeted for the property, including provision for utilities, insurance and project development work. In total, the initial acquisition and early-stage professional costs alone amount to well over £245,000, before any substantial refurbishment or redevelopment costs are considered.
Alongside the Town Hall project, the council’s annual revenue spending includes items such as staffing costs of £102,000 for 2024–25, legal expenses budgeted at £10,000, audit fees of £10,000, streetlighting costs of £26,000, floral displays and hanging baskets budgeted at over £29,000, and Christmas lighting and associated infrastructure costing more than £10,000 in the same year. Taken together, these figures illustrate that a growing precept is funding both core running costs and a range of discretionary projects.
The combined effect is that residents are paying materially more in council tax to support a council whose reserves are now significantly lower than they were only a few years ago. With reserves having fallen by more than £370,000 since 2021–22, future spending plans will increasingly rely on continued income from the precept unless new funding sources are identified.
As councillors prepare to set the next precept, the decision will be closely watched. The figures from recent years show a clear pattern of sharp increases in household charges alongside major capital commitments and a substantial drawdown of reserves. The forthcoming budget will indicate whether the council intends to slow the pace of increases or continue on the same financial trajectory.