The final budget and precept (council tax) was decided at the January Council meeting.

The precept is a portion of the council tax collected by Arun District Council to cover costs of

the District, County and Parish Councils and Sussex Police. It is the main source of funding

for your Parish Council, which receives no government funding or grants, and plays a vital

role in funding local services to maintain our beautiful Parish. These include maintenance

and utility bills for the council premises; Allotments at The Nurseries including maintenance

and water supplies; Open space improvements such as grounds maintenance, replacing

public benches, bus shelters, tree planting and floral planting at Rose Green and West

Meads; Contributions towards keeping public toilets open; Play/youth activities scheme at

local parks during the summer breaks, Remembrance Day commemoration, Christmas tree

and lights; Grant funding to community organisations, and supporting community initiatives.

For the year ahead, we are planning to improve our outreach and support to local

businesses, fund additional skateboarding sessions for children during the Easter break (very

popular last summer!) and to increase the public face of the Council with the monthly

surgeries we started in January of this year where residents can drop in and have a chat with

one or two Council members with queries or for advice.

The new precept from 1st April 2026 is £135,349, which equates to a Band D (the average

used) council tax charge per year of £25.07. This is an increase on last year of £2.66 annually

or 5p per week (for Band D). We try very hard indeed to keep costs down in the current

financial climate whilst providing the very best value we can for our residents.

We seek to improve on all that we do, and to build other projects and services so that we can

achieve more for the community. We hope that residents feel this the precept represents good

value for money, and we appreciate your understanding as we work together to make our

community a beautiful place in which to live and work.