A TAUNTON resident has voiced his concerns over the recent raise in council tax and the local authority’s ability to generate income.

Addressing a full Taunton Town Council yesterday (Tuesday, April 9), David Orr had his say on the council tax rise and other issues.

He said: “The BBC said a few weeks back that the average council tax rise was 5.1 per cent, but here in Taunton, mine was 13.6 per cent, mainly thanks to the huge 173 per cent rise in the town council’s council tax.

“This council almost trebled its council tax income from £2.1m to £5.9m, which will raise expectations for execution and the delivery of services and improvements.

“Due to poor budget monitoring in the new Somerset Council, this dire situation came “out of the blue” just before Christmas.

“It appears you didn’t have time for proper consideration, risk assessment, and public consultation.

“Can I respectfully suggest that you don’t have a council tax rise this big again for a long while, and also you change the way you plan and negotiate service devolution from Somerset Council.

“Will you now publish new guidelines on the protocols, criteria and public consultation processes that will be followed in future, before accepting unfunded devolved services and run-down assets from Somerset Council?

“Some of you serve on Somerset Council and one of you is an executive councillor there.

“When you are sitting as Taunton town councillors, surely, we should expect that Taunton comes first and the travails of the sinking Somerset Council and collective party loyalty aren’t ahead of that primary elected role.

“Are we to expect in the future that Somerset Council can divest itself of any service it doesn’t want to fund or pass on clapped-out assets requiring costly investment, while this council just follows their instructions?

“Or will you negotiate firmly on our behalf, to get a fair deal and a balance between costly services (often with underinvested assets) and income streams?

“For example, if the limited population base in the Taunton Town Council area has to pick up the costs for everyone who visits Taunton and is using toilets, being kept secure with CCTV and accessing parks, then why can’t we have the Taunton car parks devolved to us, to collect the parking income for all who visit, to provide sustainable funding?

“Or will Somerset Council simply keep all the good stuff and you accept the costly and clapped-out stuff as their “hand-me-downs”, without demur?

“All new development pays a Community Infrastructure Levy known as CIL.

“These are substantial funding streams for capital projects and place improvements.

“When the Somerset West and Taunton Council was wound up, were the existing, unspent CIL funds for all of the wards in the Taunton Town Council area devolved to this council?

“If not, why not? How much CIL is there currently held for the Taunton Town Council area?

“If Somerset Council is holding on to CIL funds within the Taunton Town Council area, will you ensure they are ring-fenced and spent only by you for the benefit of the Taunton Town area?

“CIL for new planning permissions is 15 per cent without a development plan and, with one, is 25 per cent.

“When will Taunton Town Council have a development plan to capture 25 per cent of the CIL raised from new developments, rather than just 15 per cent?”

Responding to Mr Orr, Cllr Tom Deakin, leader of Taunton Town Council, said: “People want decisions, not words. They want to see things happening in the town, like the Henry’s pub artwork.

“It’s small steps, there are bigger things to come.

“Our relationship with the Somerset Council can always be better and we will make sure we get value for money.

“Everyone here wants to ensure that our town is the best it can possibly be. People of Taunton come first.”

Addressing Mr Orr’s concerns over income generating assets, Cllr Deakin said: “We should have more.

“We will continue to push where we can, but I share your view that we need to generate income as a town council.

“We are not solely relying on council tax going forward.”