Steyning council tax latest

The figure represents 51.37 for Band D properties '“ an increase of five per cent on last year.

At Monday's parish council meeting, finance and general purposes committee chairman Richard Woodman explained the rise would have been below the rate of inflation, had it not been an election year for the parish council.

"We have been obliged to budget for election expenses. The figure Horsham District Council advises us to charge is 3,000," he said.

Mr Woodman added that the council was also required to include provision for councillor allowances, again because of the potential election, in May.

He said: "This council adopted a policy of not paying councillor allowances, but we thought it unfair and undemocratic to commit any other council to the policy this council had adopted.

"We have included provision for councillor allowances of 1,500 in case the new council fails to adopt this council's policy of not paying such allowances.

"Without these additional provisions the increase on a Band D property would have been under two per cent."

Mr Woodman said while the parish council had budgeted for these expenses, it was possible the money could be saved.

"If the new council decides not to award councillor allowances then that is a saving straight away. Similarly, if there is no election, then that is a saving straight away," he said.

Steyning Parish Council meets the majority of the cost of employing the town's two neighbourhood wardens and the entire cost of cleaning and maintaining the High Street toilets.

Speaking at Monday's meeting, parish council chairman Mike Reed said: "I would like to congratulate the councillors because they have done a super job. It does take a lot of work to keep the precept down."