Ross Town Council has voted to reduce the amount of money that they ask for from Herefordshire Council for 2013/2014.

The notice of motion to reduce the precept request from Herefordshire Council was passed on Monday night. In January the Ross Town Council set the precept for £200,000 on the basis that no additional money would be asked for from tax payers.

However, by January 28th at a Council Finance Committee meeting, Herefordshire Council had sent a letter which revealed that a "stand-still precept figure" of £200,000 would lead to an increase in tax demands sent out to residents, due to the abolition of national council tax benefit scheme. The Government are no longer fully compensating parishes for a reduction in council tax.

Councillor Chris Bartrum, who proposed the ammendment, said: "If we wish to keep the same band D charge we need to reduce the precept to £196,500."Councillor John Edwards said the original precept request amount would now only work out at about a £1 a year extra, for each household, but he would vote to reduce the precept on principal.

Conservative Councillors Andrew Atkinson, Richard Mayo and Phil Cutter disagreed with the Liberal Democrat majority on Ross Town Council.

Cllr Atkinson said: "Council tax has actually decreased for people most years, while the precept has remained at £200,000, as we've built more houses so the pot has been spread out amongst extra people. I'm not sure we want to put the money down at a time when we want to do more things in the town. I want to see this money going into projects in the community."

For the rest of this story please see this week's Ross Gazette.