In just a matter of weeks, council tax bills for the new year will be dropping through letterboxes across Cornwall.

And it is at this time of year we start to find out just how much we will be paying to fund essential local services.

Council tax bills are made up of three elements – known as precepts – the largest of which is to pay for services provided by Cornwall Council; the second is for Devon and Cornwall Police, and the third is for your local parish or town council.

This year Cornwall Council is proposing to increase its share of the bills by 2.99% which includes a 1.99% general increase and an extra 1% to pay for adult social care. This is the maximum that the council can raise council tax without the need for a referendum.

Cornwall Council's Cabinet is set to discuss the budget and council tax rise when it meets on Wednesday (February 9th) and it will have to be approved by full council on February 22nd.

Devon and Cornwall Police has agreed to raise its share of the bills by 4.23% for 2022/23 – that represents an annual increase of £10 for a Band D property.

However, when it comes to town and parish council precepts they can vary considerably – in Cornwall this year whilst some councils have frozen their rates others will rise by almost 17%.

Padstow Town Council is one of those which will not be increasing its council tax precept – but then it never does due to the amount of income it receives from charges in car parks it owns in the tourist hotspot and rental income from property owned by the council.

And in Liskeard the town council has voted unanimously to freeze its council tax for the year ahead to help residents.

At the other end of the scale Redruth Town Council has agreed to raise its precept by 16.95% which will mean residents in a Band D property will be paying £33.77 more this year.

In Penzance the town council agreed to an increase of 16.35% – an increase of £34.62 a year for a band D property.

Penzance Town Council issued a press release after setting its budget which stated:

"The decision was not taken lightly, and councillors spent a long time in discussions."

It also highlighted that the last "significant increase" had been in 2017 when it raised the precept by 50.98% and that for each of the last five years the increases have been less than 3.2%.

Here is a list of some of the main town councils in Cornwall and the precepts that they have agreed for their share of the council tax for 2022/23.

• St Austell Town Council – 9.95%
• Falmouth Town Council – 2.94%
• Truro City Council – 2.93%
• Newquay Town Council – 1.55%
• St Ives Town Council – 15%
• Helston Town Council – 2.53%
• Penzance Town Council – 16.35%
• Camborne Town Council – 1.86%
• Redruth Town Council – 16.95%
• Liskeard Town Council – 0%
• Padstow Town Council – 0%
• Saltash Town Council – 4.28%
• Hayle Town Council – 2.09%
• Launceston Town Council – 6.6%
• Bude-Stratton Town Council – 3%
• Camelford Town Council – 4%
• Fowey Town Council – 5%

The final totals for council tax bills for Cornwall will be published following the Cornwall Council meeting on February 22nd when it will set its budget and council tax proposals.

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