At last week's Northstowe Town Council Full Council
meeting, several important items were discussed and decided on that were on the
agenda:
· First of all, the Town Council would like to thank the great number of residents, seven in total, who put themselves forward for the three vacancies of Town Councillor.
· The following three Town Councillors were voted in: Cllr. Joe Birr-Pixton; Cllr Graeme Hodgson; and Cllr Ian Hunter. Welcome to the Council!
· Please note that another vacancy has arisen recently.
· Following a lengthy discussion, the Town Council agreed to increase the precept request to a total of £169,586.96 for the next financial year, 1st April 2025 - 31st March 2026. This means that the Band-D equivalent for the Town Council's element of households' Council Tax bill will rise to £105.69 per annum, an increase of £9.61 (10.0%) on the previous year.
· The Council also decided to use some of its General Reserve to balance the books. This, as well as the increase in precept, was deemed necessary, considering a steep increase in expenditure expected associated with the Town Council potentially (TBC) taking on the management of the Permanent Community Centre ('Unity Centre') early 2026, once this has been built by Kier on behalf of South Cambridgeshire District Council.