Your Parish Precept Explained

With council tax bills for 2021/2022 due out shortly this seems a good opportunity to write about the Parish precept.

The Parish precept is the council tax that the billing authority (City of York Council) collects on behalf of the Parish Council. The precept is calculated as part of the Parish Council’s budget. It is the difference between the Parish Council’s expenditure and its estimated income. Parish Councils do not receive any direct funding from central government and so the precept is an important part of a Parish Council’s income.

At Dunnington Parish Council’s meeting held on the 11th January 2021 it was agreed to request a precept of £22,979 for 2021/2022. This precept represents an increase of £2,089 (or 10%) on the precept Dunnington Parish Council requested for 2020/2021. This increase works out at less than £1.50 extra per household. The percentage increase for Dunnington Parish Council listed on your council tax bill refers to the increase paid by the council tax payer not the increase in the overall precept amount requested by Dunnington Parish Council. For example a Band D property:

The Band D charge is calculated as the precept divided by the tax base (the number of Band D equivalent properties in the Parish as calculated by the City of York Council).

Tax Base in 2020/2021 was 1350.6, precept was £20,890, so Band D was £20,890/1350.6 = £15.47

Tax Base for 2021/2022 is 1356.7, precept is £22,979 so Band D charge is £22,979/1356.7 = £16.94

So for a Band D property the increase in Dunnington Parish Council precept paid by a council tax payer for 2021/2022 will be £1.47 (or 9.5%).

The Band D charge of £16.94 per annum for 2021/2022 works out at just £0.33 a week approximately. This income allows Dunnington Parish Council to provide local residents with numerous services throughout the village (salt bins, grass cutting, landscaping, litter and dog bins, street furniture to name a few) and to maintain a number of local amenities (such as the Play Park, the Scouts and Guides, the Sports and Social Club, the Reading Rooms, the Playing Fields).

Dunnington Parish Council also acts as a community liaison with other local service providers such as City of York Council, the Police, MyHealth and is always available to assist in queries and concerns raised by local residents. We hope you agree that Dunnington Parish Council provides local residents with good value for money!

In order to maintain the high standards set by Dunnington Parish Council on behalf of local residents, next year the Parish precept may have to be raised by more than the current 10%. This is because the Parish precept does not cover the amount that is spent in the year and we have had to take the difference from our reserves.

Chairman: Cllr Gill Shaw, 14 Holly Tree Croft, Dunnington, York, YO19 5RG
Tel: 01904 489107 Email: gill.shaw@dunningtonparishcouncil.gov.uk

Clerk: Julie Bone, 43 St James Close, Rawcliffe, York, YO30 5WL
Tel: 01904 672199 Email: parish.clerk@dunningtonparishcouncil.gov.uk