RESIDENTS of Okehampton will see an increase on their council tax in 2015 as a result of the town council's latest budget analysis, writes Tom French.

Each year the town council closely analyses its precept – the amount of money it receives from council tax.

At a meeting of the full council on January 12, councillors raised the precept for 2015/16 to £210,179 compared with £180,983 for 2014/15. The move sees the Band D property parish rate rise to £92.35 compared to £81.30 last year.

The change can be attributed to the council tax support grant the council received last year and the likelihood that the council will have to take over more community assets this year, such as public toilets and open spaces in the town.

The 2015/16 precept is exactly £5,000 more than it was in 2008/09, which according to any index in common use, says the council, is below inflation rates.

Councillors deliberated the move at length during the meeting, aware of the possible implications a tax raise could have on families struggling financially. The move will provide the council with additional funds for its reserves as it braces itself for having to take on more community assets as part of government austerity measures.

Cllr Tony Leech said: 'We do need to prepare to take over responsibility for assets like our public toilets or we may lose them. I can't think of an effective way for us to decrease our budget. Many sections of our budget have gone up year on year.

'We would need to very closely manage every aspect of our budget and even then it might not be possible.

'A lot of people in the town may have no idea of the impact that the things town and parish councils are having to take on board will have on their budgets. We need to exaggerate how additional assets will put a strain on our budget.'

Cllr Michael Ireland said: 'We are going to have to take on additional resources. If we look at inflation, it is virtually no increase at all. It shows how well the town council is managing things. It is a really good set of figures to show how well things are managed. There is a lot to celebrate regarding how it has all been managed.'

The town precept forms part of the overall council tax bill for households. The majority of funds goes to Devon County Council for its services, while West Devon Borough Council and the police share the remainder.