BURNHAM-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council has confirmed its budget for 2024 following a meeting on Tuesday, January 30.

An amount of £952,901 has been agreed upon in attempt to mitigate the impact of the reduction of services proposed by Somerset Council, whilst also fighting inflation in key areas.

The budget includes a projected income of £118,025 and expenditure of £1,070,926 for the 2024/25 period.

These costs include the work of the Town Council to maintain local cemeteries, administer allotments, and fund some of the key civic events in the towns including the Remembrance Parade.

The budget also covers maintenance of certain public facilities such as dog bins, the Princess Theatre, and the work of the Town Rangers to support residents and visitors, as well as the award of grants of £35,000 to community groups.

The projected expenditure figure accounts for an additional £76,000 for increased costs in areas such as highways maintenance, parks and public conveniences that were previously maintained by Somerset Council.

The extra expenditure will be funded by a precept of £952,901, which will form part of the council tax in alignment with the requirements of Somerset Council and the police.

This equates to an increase in the town council element of £27.31 per year to a Band D property to £143.41, a weekly increase of just over 50p - one of the lowest increases in Somerset.