COUNCIL tax rates are set to go up in South Cerney by more than 13 per cent in order to fund parish council activities and a new £1.15 million community centre.

The decision to increase the parish council’s council tax precept will come into effect on April 6.

It will mean that those living in a Band D property will have to pay 12p per week more on their council tax.

Cash generated will go towards furnishings and fittings in the new community centre, which is expected to be built this year.

Money will also be spent on funding parish council staffing costs due to several experienced members of the council stepping down this year.

Peter Jay, a member of the council, said: “Maurice McKee, our long-serving Parish Clerk, retires in April. His successor will need more time than the current 20 hours a week to carry out the duties. Most market towns employ full time clerks and assistants.

“In May of this year several experienced parish councillors are standing down taking with them a huge amount of knowledge, experience and available time. It may be that the new council will need professional consultants in the short term. The current council has an obligation to ensure that the new council is adequately funded to carry out its duties.”

Cash generated from the precept increase will also be spent on resurfacing the Upper Up car park in the village and grass cutting at playing fields and roadside verges owned by the County Council.

Mr Jay explained that village maintenance and flood prevention works have eaten into the Parish’s reserves.

He said that the car par is in urgent need of resurfacing and the verges would only be cut twice a year if the council did not do the job.

He added that South Cerney is now of comparable size to most of the Market Towns in the Cotswolds and that the precepts of Market Towns are between 50 per cent and 100 per cent greater than that of South Cerney.

He said: “It also has the largest industrial site other than Cirencester in the area. However, there is no direct financial benefit to the community as all business rate taxes are paid to the County Council.”