Penrith council tax set to be the most expensive of the 5 main Towns in Westmorland and Furness.

Westmorland and Furness Council will meet on Tuesday to formally agree the new councils budget and set the council tax for the new district of Westmorland and Furness.

The 5 main towns in Westmorland and Furness based on parish council tax base areas has Penrith ranking as the third largest of the towns and parish in the Westmorland and Furness district.

Across the 5 towns Penrith Town council has the second largest precept demand amount of £468,295.00 and the highest precept amount that is paid by households at £83.09 for a Band D property resulting in Penrith households paying the most council tax across the top 5 towns in the Westmorland and Furness council area.

The comparison five parish councils Band D precept amount with the biggest council tax base (the number of properties that pay council tax) are

BARROW PARISH COUNCIL £17.56

WINDERMERE AND BOWNESS £37.02

KENDAL £52.66

ULVERSTON £55.89

PENRITH TOWN COUNCIL £83.09

Band D properties in Penrith will see a total council tax bill from April of £2,211.61 including the Westmorland and Furness council tax and the Police and Fire precepts along with the town council precept of £83.09.

Band D properties in Barrow in Furness however will see a total council tax bill from April of £2,146.08

The overall most expensive place to live in Westmorland and Furness will be along the A66 from Penrith for residents in Appleby with a Band D property set to pay £2,264.85 despite the council having a precept demand of £152,022.00 and a much smaller tax base of only 1,115.09

The Penrith Town Council’s total precept demand for 2023/24 is set at £468,295.00 by comparison Kendal Town Council have set a precept demand of £567,997.00. Kendal’s council tax base as council with a larger number of properties with a council tax base of 10,785.65 as a bigger town than Penrith. Penrith has however a council tax base of just 5,636.02.

Penrith Town Council’s council tax base and town size puts it closer in comparison to that of Ulverston with a tax base of 4355.66 with the Ulverston Town Council precept demand of £243,452.00 almost half the amount that Penrith Town Council will cost Penrith council tax payers this year.

The council tax levels are set across 8 bands from A to H the bands that will be set for Penrith on Tuesday are proposed as:

Band A £1,474.40

Band B £1,720.15

Band C £1,965.88

Band D £2,211.61

Band E £2,703.07

Band F £3,194.55

Band G £3,686.01

Band H £4,423.22

What do you think is Penrith Town Council costing Penrith to much?