Tavistock council tax payers are being asked to pay a little more over the coming year so the Guildhall public loos stay open.

At the full meeting of the town council on January 20, councillors gave the final nod to increase the precept – the town council’s portion of the council tax – by 17.31 per cent.

This equates to a 74p per week increase on the bill for a council tax Band D property for the year from the start of April.

Approximately two thirds of this increase is down to the town council assuming responsibility for the Guildhall public toilets from West Devon Borough Council.

This comes after Tavistock residents made it clear in response to a survey that the toilets are a priority for the town. The town council says it was informed by the borough council that the toilets would otherwise have to be closed.

In setting its budget for the coming year, the town council noted that it needed to manage its finances with ‘vigilance, rigour and discipline’ going forward to build capacity to sustain services.

This will allow it to deliver new initiatives as well as supporting current projects such as the Abbey Remains Project and play area improvements in the Meadows.

It also hopes to avoid a significant council tax increase next year, subject to unforeseen or local government reorganisation impacts. One challenge for the town council remains its diminished capital reserves to support and maintain significant works.

The town council precept is the smallest component of the council tax paid by Tavistock residents, with the largest portion going to Devon County Council for social services, highways and education. It is also paid to Devon & Cornwall Police, West Devon Borough Council and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

Tavistock Town Council is asking for a total of £1,088,850 from its residents for the financial year 2026/27.

This equates to £ 222.39 per Band D equivalent property or an increase of £38.48 a year (74p per week).

Town councillors and officers say they have worked hard to keep the precept increase to a minimum.

The precept is used by the town council to fund community services, subsidised by commercial income, including that from property lettings and markets activities.

The council is also putting £25,810 into new play equipment in the Meadows park and £10,000 towards the Tavistock Abbey Remains Project, a community partnership.

It is still trying to build up its depleted financial reserves following the Covid pandemic and reports some progress in this.

The council said: “It continues to be the case that future financial administration will require vigilance, rigour and discipline to build capacity to sustain services, and then in due course, deliver new initiatives.

“In doing so it serves to mitigate, so far as prudent, the council tax increase next year subject to any unforeseen or local government reorganisation impacts and goes some way to returning council finances to a more ‘normal’ position.”