Alsager Town Council has approved its budgets for the coming year (2021/22), agreeing a more than six per cent reduction in residents' precept payment.

The precept is the yearly sum requested by the town council to help it meet its spending requirements. It is then converted into an amount per council tax band and collected by the borough council as part of your council tax bill.

Alsager Town Council thoroughly debated its priorities and service requirements for the forthcoming financial year, also considering the uncertainty on the impact of Covid-19 to the town council budget and the councils reserves due to loss of service income in 2020-21, continuing into 2021-22.

Last Tuesday, the town council determined the full value of its 2021-22 budget that contains net spending plans to a total of £533,939 and additions to reserves of £7,600.

Earmarked reserves, capital reserves and CIL monies are being utilised to finance expenditure and a precept request of £391,742 has been made to Cheshire East Council.

The council tax charge relating to Alsager Town Council for 2021/22 will be £79.46 per annum per Band D equivalent household, which represents a decrease of 6.3% from 2020/21 (£84.79).

The annual charge equates to £1.53 per week per Band D equivalent household.

A spokesperson for Alsager Town Council said: "The council received funds via council tax from residents in 2020/21 towards a number of activities which did not go ahead as a result of the Covid restrictions that were in place – the carnival, music festival, Remembrance Day parade and the Christmas lights switch on.

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"The council has resolved to reserve the budgets to finance those activities in 2021-22.

"This principle has contributed towards the council tax reduction in 2021/22 and residents are being reimbursed for their contribution towards those events that were not delivered in 2020/21.

"It should be noted that the benefit will be in one year only as the funding towards those events will be precepted for via council tax again in future years."