PRECEPT
What is precept?
Precept is a tax that Parish Council’s charge their local electors to meet their budget requirements. Parish Councils do not receive any direct funding from central government and rely on their Precept plus any other income they generate from services or facilities they provide. The Parish Council Precept is part of the Council Tax and is collected from local electors via their Council Tax payments.
How is it calculated?
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The Precept requirement is the difference between the Parish Council’s estimated income and its anticipated spending requirements for the financial year (its budget). The financial year runs from 1st April to 31st March. The Parish Council needs to agree a budget before it can set its Precept, and both must be agreed by the full Parish Council. When calculating the Precept, the Parish Council takes into consideration:
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current year’s spending levels - for ongoing services for which it is responsible e.g. recreation facilities, lighting, grass & hedge cutting across the parish, insurance and cost of the Parish Office
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costs of any additional spending plans or projects
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provision for contingencies and reserves
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levels of anticipated income
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Once a Precept has been approved by the Parish Council, they inform Broadland District Council and it is then added to residents Council Tax bills. Broadland District Council pay the Precept to the Parish Council in two instalments (Apr and Sept).
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Precept is added to the council tax bill and is shown alongside other additions such as police, fire and social care. The precept is based on the number of properties in a parish that are liable to pay council tax, and the amount varies depending on the spending plans and needs of each parish/community council.
Your Community Council also acts as a community liaison with other local service providers (such as Norfolk County Council, Broadland District Council, and Norfolk Constabulary) and is always on hand to assist with queries and concerns raised by local residents.
Having recently consulted with the community we are gaining a better understanding of the facilities our community desires and we will look to engage with the community on a continuing basis. This is a collaborative experience, and we welcome residents to join us to get involved in shaping Rackheath’s future either as Parish Councillors or as community members on working groups.
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If you would like more information on how you can be involved, please email clerk@rackheathparishcouncil.org.uk