Flaxton Parish Council – Information about the Parish Council Budget for 2026/27
Introduction
For those of you have received your Council Tax Bill for 2026/27 you will have noted a 58% increase in the Flaxton Parish Council element of the Council Tax compared with last year. For a Band A property this is a twenty-three pence per week increase, for Band D thirty-four pence and for Band G fifty-seven pence.
The purpose of this note is to explain the principal reason for the increase in the parish element of the Council Tax.
The budget process
Every December Flaxton Parish Council is required to produce a budget for the next fiscal year which starts in the following April. The budgeting process considers the basic running costs of the council along with any specific capital or maintenance projects required during the year to help make Flaxton a better and safer place to live.
Finance (precept) requirement
The finance requirement for the following year is calculated with reference to the budget and the forecast year end bank balance.
The finance requirement is known as the parish precept which is collected via the North Yorkshire Council Tax Bill. The precept contribution for each property is allocated according to its Council Tax Band with Band A receiving a lower allocation than Band G which receives the highest.
In 2025/26 the parish precept was £4,750, next year it will be £7,500 (e.g. a 58% increase).
The budget
You can see here the Parish Council 2026/27 budget agreed at the December 2025 Parish Council Meeting.
What has changed since 2025/26?
During the Village Plan Consultation Exercise (Page 19) villagers highlighted speeding vehicles as a key safety and noise issue. Most respondents to the village plan questionnaire supported the installation of a Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS). However, at that time the signs were unaffordable and required a mains power source.
Following further complaints about vehicle speeds the Vehicle Speed Survey carried out by North Yorkshire Council in April 2025 confirmed the number and type of vehicles that are exceeding the speed limit.
This year we have budgeted for a project to install a solar-powered moveable Vehicle Activated Sign that is mounted on two poles installed at each end of the village. The VAS purchase and installation cost will be around £7,700.
Approximately 63% of the cost will be met from existing council reserves and the new income we receive for grass-cutting at the village road junctions, a service that was previously provided by North Yorkshire Council.
If we had not included the VAS project the precept would have been around £4,845 (an increase of around 2%) so the contribution to the project in this year’s precept is £2,855.
We expect this increase will be a ‘one-off’ and the precept will revert to closer to £5,000 next year, (unless of course other worthwhile projects are identified to us).
Additional information
If you would like further information about the budget please contact Anna Jackson, the Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer or a Councillor, contact details can be found here: https://www.flaxtonpc.org.uk/contact-us/.
