§ Richard Younger-RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the average level of precept was for(a) parish and town councils, (b) parish councils and (c) town councils in England in each of the last five years. [18063]
§ Dr. WhiteheadThe only information on parish and town council precepts collected by the Department is the total amount received by each English billing authority on behalf of parish and town councils in its area. Separate amounts for parish and town councils are not therefore available, nor are precise figures for the number of parish or town councils in England in any particular year. Total precepts for each year from 1997–98 to 2001–02 inclusive are given in the following table:
Financial year Parish and town council precepts, England total (£ million) Percentage increase over previous year 1997–98 144 8.3 1998–99 154 6.9 1999–2000 165 7.1 2000–01 181 9.7 2001–02 193 6.6 The Department estimates that there are currently about 8,700 parish or town councils in England, so the average precept in 2001–02 is about £22,000, with precepts for individual councils ranging from zero to several hundred thousand pounds.