The Parish Council considered the detailed budget and the Precept request (the amount the Parish Council requires for meeting the expenses of running the Council) for the year 2024 / 25 at the meeting on 5 January.
The budget of £52,754 was agreed. This took into account the range of Parish responsibilities, particularly those of taking over the management and refurbishment of the Parish Hall, but also including village grass cutting and weed spraying, the dog bin emptying, meeting costs, saving for replacement street furniture, road safety, reserves.
The Parish had been given the Tax Base figure (broadly, the number of Band D equivalent dwellings in the village) by CDC which was estimated at 619.9; this was an increase from 615.7 the previous year. Following the calculations, it was agreed to increase the Precept to £51,592 which was an increase of £11,849. The annual cost to a Band D household would be approximately £83.23 – an increase of £18.68 over the whole year.
However, it is worth noting that the Band D equivalent for a resident of Bicester for 23/24 was £137.20.
More information about how the Tax Base figure is calculated is available on the Parish Council website at Financing the Parish Council
For anyone interested, the draft budget and precept calculations can be found on the Parish Council website under the January Items for Information at 2023 – 2024 Agenda and Minutes