Last week the Full Council meeting members agreed on the budget for the forthcoming year and set the precept requirement.

The Council is responsible for the maintenance of a number of assets, including The Guildhall, public toilets, play areas, eight open spaces, and over 66000 Sq. M of verges, 6 planted roundabouts, 8 bus shelters, numerous benches, and litter bins.

The Council also provides a monitored CCTV system, a network of Public Access Defibrillators, detached youth workers and provides grants to a number of local organisations and community groups including the Museum of Cornish Life and the Furry Youth café. The Council awards grants upon application to local causes and provides funds towards Helston Christmas Lights which are installed by volunteers.

To provide all these services the Council has calculated that it will require a budget of £776,190. The Council anticipates that it will receive an income of £29,840 which is received from the hiring of The Guildhall for events from weddings to training sessions and markets.

The remaining sum is what forms the precept part of your Council tax bill. These figures are usually represented by the cost of a band D property. This equates to a charge of £202.96 p.a. an increase of £37.93 a year or 73 pence a week. In Helston, nearly 76% of residences are in bands A-C which pay a lower charge.

This would mean that a Band A property pays an additional 49p a week, Band B will have an increase of 57p a week and a Band C property will pay 65 pence a week more. The Council has endeavoured to keep any increase to a minimum as it fully understands the challenge that people face at the moment.

The Council has also faced a significant increase in the costs of delivering services. The Council no longer receives the council tax support grant from central government which has been withdrawn.

Mayor Tim Grattan-Kane said: "In the 22-23 budget we made a determined effort to make the smallest increase possible as the community emerged from Covid. Unfortunately, the impact of the war in Ukraine has dramatically increased the cost of fuel and energy which has had an impact on all the goods and services we use.

"Helston is the 10th largest town in Cornwall but our precept charge in recent years has placed us 18th in cost of our precept. This places Helston below the mid-point of charges for larger towns and parishes in Cornwall. I anticipate that we will remain at similar levels. The Members believe that we continue to present value for money."