Billericay residents will pay a third more for their town council after members voted to increase the precept in the coming financial year.

Councillors decided to increase the amount of money needed to provide services in 2003/2004 after calculating a rise of around £20,000 in the cost of projects and a rise in staffing costs.

The precept will rise in council tax Band D homes from £9 to £12.04, a rise of 33.8 per cent. The total precept to be paid for by the people of Billericay is £146,358.

Band D homes are considered the "average".

Billericay Town Council will use the money to deal with local issues, from building bus shelters to managing the Billericay in Bloom competition to deciding small-scale planning applications.

Published Wednesday, January 22, 2003

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