A COUNCIL Tax increase of more than a third is on the cards for Kingsmead residents, but councillors say they should still see a saving.

Kingsmead Parish Council has agreed to increase it’s precept to £129,636 for the 2014/15 financial year.

This is an increase of 36 per cent for the average Band D property, which equates to £71 per year or £1.35 per week.

Clr Emma Bannister said: “It was less previously because we’ve been able to offset the precept with money from Davenham parish and the developers.

“We’ve been offsetting it by about £30,000 to £40,000 each year.

“We have never set a precept that genuinely reflects how much we spend on maintenance.

“Hopefully this will stay constant for the next five years.”

Before Kingsmead Parish Council was formed in 2011, the development fell within the boundaries of Davenham Parish Council and Northwich Town Council.

Its landscaping and communal areas, including a number of parks, play areas and ponds, were managed and maintained by Kingsmead Landscape Management Company (KLMC).

This body, created by the developers Redrow and Taylor Wimpey, charged residents a management fee for the upkeep of these areas, which they had to pay on top of Council Tax.

Now the village and its communal areas are maintained by the parish council using Council Tax money.

Clr Andrew Murison said: “The thing to look at is what was it costing beforehand to KLMC and in Council Tax and you would find that you’re paying less now.”

The parish council’s total budget for 2014/15 is £142,042 with the maintenance budget alone set at £115,129.

The full Council Tax bill includes a precept for Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC), Cheshire Fire Authority and Cheshire Police Authority, as well as a parish council precept.