Nantwich Town councillors were locked in a bitter row last night which ended with a vote to increase their Council Tax precept for 2025-26 by 7%.
One councillor accused his own authority of “being asleep at the wheel” and said an increase above inflation was unacceptable for the town’s residents.
But others hit back, saying the increase was needed to ensure the council had enough reserves and to pay for urgent work such as repairs to the market hall roof.
A four-week public consultation on plans to raise the town council’s council tax by 8% only resulted in eight residents writing in. All eight objected to the rise.
Cllr Loic Charbonneau said: “We should be able to make the budget balance out and be respectful to residents.
“To say it’s only a few pennies or pounds extra per month is deceitful. People are seeing dozens of their bills rising – so as a town council are we going to be part of that problem?
“Are we sufficiently proactive in reducing our costs? It’s costing us £39,000 a year to clean our toilets! It feels like we are asleep at the wheel.
“Increasing our precept above inflation is 100% wrong.”
He also called for a “vote of no confidence” on the chair of the town council’s finance committee.
But finance chair Cllr Arthur Moran hit back: “We held numerous budget workshops which every councillor was invited to, and we went through the finances line by line.
“We agreed to go out to consultation on 8% and then come back. We also have to pay for elections now, a decision by Cheshire East.”
Cllr Moran proposed a 7% rise in the precept, which was seconded by Cllr Anna Burton.
But Cllr Geoff Smith said: “There was no leadership from the chair, no vision for how we can reduce the budget, a lack of ideas to find savings.”
He added that the market hall roof had been leaking for years and should have been sorted years ago.
“I’ve met with stallholders and they tell me it’s been going on for seven or eight years! They are putting buckets out. It’s a fundamental health and safety issue,” he added.
But Cllr Caroline Kirkham labelled the accusation of having no ideas as “disrespectful”.
She added: “We are all responsible as a committee and it comes to full council for approval.
“We brought ideas to the table, and I find that comment disrespectful and insulting.”
Cllr Charbonneau replied: “Leadership is about finding a solution. I absolutely believe the residents of Nantwich deserve better and in a normal year we should be able to close budget within inflation.”
Cllr Riddell Graham said: “I find the personal attacks on the chair unnecessary.
“We gave councillors a chance to put forward ideas which were carefully considered. We’ve got a lot to put right such as the market roof and we are dealing with it.”
Nine councillors voted in favour of a 7% rise, three voted against.
The rise will increase the annual precept for a Band D property in the Nantwich Town Council boundary by £10.53.
Recent Comments